


Roaring Pride!

by Xylveon



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender, 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia
Genre: Adoptive Siblings, Alien Princess!Yaoyorozu Momo, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, BAMF Bakugou Katsuki, BAMF Kirishima Eijirou, BAMF Midoriya Izuku, BAMF Todoroki Shouto, BAMF Uraraka Ochako, BAMF Yaoyorozu Momo, BECAUSE FUCK THAT SHIT, Bakugou Katsuki & Midoriya Izuku are Siblings, Bakugou Katsuki Swears A Lot, Because Allura Deserved Better, Because Lotor Deserved One, But Boy Do I Suck at Math, Butler!Ashido Mina, Cussing, Cussing Ahead, Cute Eri (My Hero Academia), Cute Midoriya Izuku, Definitely Wholesome Shipping, Discord: Izuocha Temple, Don't Hold Me to it, F/M, Fuck the Canon, Galra Hybrid!Eri, Galra Hybrid!Midoriya Izuku, Here we go, Hopefully Good Battle Scenes, I Don't Think I'm Gonna Kill Any of the Main Characters, I Hope I Do This Right, I Write Better than the Directors, I added her in the beginning, I'm rewriting this bitch, Mechanic!Iida Tenya, Midoriya Izuku Adopts Eri, Midoriya Izuku Has a Tail, Midoriya Izuku is the Leader, Midoriya Izuku's Hair Is Fluffy Because It's Full Of Secrets, Momo Doesn't Die, No Clone Bullshit, No Lion Switching, No Nat 20 Rolls, No Unused Altean Broadsword, Obviously:, Oh my gosh, Or Writing in this Case, Pretty Average Violence, Princess!Yaoyorozu Momo, Protective Midoriya Izuku, Protective Uraraka Ochako, Protective Voltron Lions, Robo Arm!Todoroki Shouto, Robot Lions, Sassy Midoriya Izuku, Sentient Voltron Lions, Sentient robots, Shigaraki Gets a Redemption Arc, So many tags, The Risk I Took Was Calculated, Those two are chaotic good, Though I May Change that Tag, Todoroki Shouto has PTSD, Todoroki Shouto is a Genius, Transformation, Voltron au, eventually, fight me, it's fucking cute, no beta we die like men, quirkless au, quiznak
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-31
Updated: 2020-12-10
Packaged: 2021-03-01 02:27:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 31,121
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23407516
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Xylveon/pseuds/Xylveon
Summary: [Insert clever summary where I basically rub in the fact that I plan to write a better version of Voltron and keep track of the lore better than the show did since Season 8 failed us miserably about 2 years ago]It's the Year 20XX. Midoriya Izuku and his piloting team from the Galaxy Garrison Academy get caught up in something so much bigger than themselves. Quite literally with the massive, sentient, robotic lion with a mostly black paint job that loves to growl in Izuku's head. So now, since the Lions of Voltron chose them to be their Paladin Pilots,for some mysterious reason, the fate of the entire universe rests on these teenagers' shoulders.Yeah, they can understand why you'd be concerned. They are too.
Relationships: Ashido Mina & Uraraka Ochako, Ashido Mina/Kirishima Eijirou, Bakugou Katsuki & Kirishima Eijirou, Bakugou Katsuki & Midoriya Izuku, Bakugou Katsuki/Jirou Kyouka, Eri & Midoriya Izuku, Eri (My Hero Academia) & Everyone, Iida Tenya & Midoriya Izuku, Iida Tenya/Utsushimi Camie, Midoriya Izuku & Todoroki Shouto, Midoriya Izuku/Uraraka Ochako, Todoroki Shouto/Yaoyorozu Momo
Comments: 177
Kudos: 116





	1. We're Going on a Trip in Our Favorite Lion Ship: Part 1

**Author's Note:**

> I apologize in advance. This is just about the most longest chapter I have ever written, _and this is just part one of possibly three for just chapter 1, I don't even know_  
>  So yes, I hope you all enjoy this!!

It was the beginning of summer break the next day. It didn't change much for Izuku and his adoptive brother, Bakugo “Kacchan” Katsuki, nor for the two others in their piloting team, Kirishima Eijiro and Uraraka Ochaco, funnily enough. While most cadets left to go visit their families or leave for a short vacation out somewhere with actual  _ greenery _ within sight, these four were staying at The Galaxy Garrison Academy.

Eijiro stretched his arms after putting on a cotton sleep shirt, resulting in some satisfying pops. “So… what do you guys wanna do tomorrow…?”

“Nothing, if it involves you two and Round Face ruining a perfectly good day.” Katsuki immediately responded.

At the gruff member’s response, both Izuku and Eijiro merely sighed as they made eye contact with each other. Yes, Katsuki  _ may _ have said that, but they both knew that he’d still hang out with them and  _ Ochaco _ . Katsuki had special nicknames for them and the other cadets, whether he liked them or not.

Eijiro chuckled as he turned to Izuku, “‘kay. How ‘bout you then, Midoriya?”

Izuku shrugged in response at first, not really knowing how to answer his friend right away. “I dunno… maybe go out and take a hike. Visit the House, do something relatively questionable… something like that.” That same feeling, the  _ need _ to go out and explore the vast landscape surrounding the Garrison and sometimes drove him  _ nuts _ if he didn’t go and sate it, was nagging at him again, like an itch in the back of his mind.

Katsuki deadpanned, groaning, “Damnit, Deku! Can you just…  _ not _ go out to the desert like a fucking  _ sane _ person for  _ once _ ? Just  _ once _ .”

As Izuku tried laughing off his brother’s jab at his arguably uncontrollable habit, Eijiro tilted his head, “Yeah, what’s with that?” He sat down on his bed on the other side of the room as Katsuki and Izuku’s bunk, “You’ve been sneaking out to the desert ever since I met you two!” Which really was  _ barely _ even a testament to how much Izuku went out there, and he knew it. “Why do you go out there? What’s so special about  _ ‘the House’ _ , anyway?” He made little air quotations with his fingers as he emphasized the weird air about the particular location.

Right as Izuku was going to attempt playing it off, Katsuki intercepted, “No, Deku. Go ahead.  _ Tell us _ . Has to deal with Auntie Inko, right?”

Izuku rubbed the back of his head, “I mean… yeah, it does. It’s just…  _ really weird _ .”

“What, really? How so?” Eijiro’s curiosity was piqued, but now his absolute attention was on his oddly mysterious classmate. Other than Midoriya being an orphan, the guy didn’t really give off the typical “mysterious vibe”, which made it all the more intriguing. 

“Well… for one…” Izuku took a moment to consider what he  _ should _ share. It took a while to show Kacchan, but it was different now that they lived under the same roof, whether or not they were at the Garrison. But Eijiro was now part of their  _ team _ . Next year, along with Uraraka, they’d be doing everything together. Plus, how long would he be able to go with Kirishima never seeing his only heirloom from his father? So, he turned around and from under his pillow, pulled out a  _ sheathed knife. _

Which, unsurprisingly, shocked the other boy. “Wh-what the  _ Hell _ , Midoriya!? What are you doing  _ with a  _ **_knife_ ** !?”

“Shut up and listen, Shitty Hair.” Katsuki snapped from where he leaned against the wall. “‘least you can do after all the damn questions ya asked.”

“It’s my only heirloom from my father.” Izuku explained, before putting the knife back in its admittingly poor hiding spot. “Mom told me to keep it with me at all times, before giving me with it a key to an old house where she and my father lived for awhile, like some weird hideout before he disappeared.”

“Deku, it wasn’t a hideout, you paranoid freak.” Katsuki rolled his eyes, clearly tired of probably hearing the same idea over and over.

“Kacchan,  _ you _ saw all that weird stuff on the walls!!” Izuku cried out, “It looks like something from Mulder’s office!!”

“Yeah, and  _ you _ live in X-Files. Watched way too much of it too, you conspiracy obsessed dumbass.” Katsuki finally came back over, getting ready to just crash. “You’ve been saying the same shit for years now, and it’s only gotten worse after Kerberos. Don’t try denying it. Give it a rest, already.”

Despite his harsh tone, both Izuku and Eijiro could tell Katsuki was really trying to voice his concern, in his own, unique way. And even Eijiro knew what Katsuki was referring to. About two years ago, Izuku’s mentor, Mr Yagi, and best friend, Todoroki Shoto, were both selected to pilot the ship for the group of scientists going on the now infamous Kerberos Moon Mission. They were…  _ lost  _ during the journey. It was roughly just a year into their mission, when it was announced that the expedition was a failure. People say it was a crash, caused by pilot error… 

But Izuku was  _ adamant _ in believing it was a lie. They had  _ Yagi Toshinori _ at the helm of the spacecraft, the best of the best piloting out there. He wouldn’t just  _ crash _ . At  _ least _ say that there were mechanical errors, something that couldn’t be fixed out there, not lay the blame on a person,  _ let alone _ his mentor. And  _ Todoroki _ ? No, the kid was a  _ genius _ . If there was a glitch in the system, he would’ve caught it. There was no  _ way _ they could be  _ dead _ , there just couldn’t-!!

“DEKU!” Katsuki shouted right in front of Izuku’s face-  _ ‘When did he get there??’ _ “You’re muttering again! Shut up, you stupid Nerd! I only said your name like  _ five hundred fucking _ times!”

“He said it three times.” Eijiro translated with a listless tone, before growing concerned, "But yeah, you  _ were _ going off, there."

Izuku blinked before forcing himself to relax, Katsuki’s way of demanding that he’d calm down  _ oddly _ effective. “S-sorry…”

“Jeez… it’s  _ fine _ .” Katsuki curtly turned his head away, “… it was  _ my _ fault for mentioning  _ that _ .” To avoid giving a complete apology, he leapt up and into the top bunk, flopping over and getting ready to clock out.

“Oh, yeah…” Eijiro mused, “I forgot about that… that hit a lot of people hard, but  _ you _ especially, right?” He shook his head slowly, “Man, I’m sorry…”

Izuku shook his head, “N-no, it’s fine! Really.” He chuckled, though he kicked himself for how hollow it sounded. “Not a lot of people knew about how close I was to them, I’m used to it.” Again, he kicked himself.  _ ‘Wow, way to sound like a total ass, Izuku.’ _

Eijiro waved him off, already knowing how self-conscious Izuku was with how he sounded. After only about a year of knowing the kid, he had gotten to know both Midoriya and Bakugo pretty well, not to toot his own horn. “Don’t worry about it, I should’ve known. We’re friends, after all!” He gestured towards the pillow and the knife it hid, “And obviously I won’t tattletale about the cool blade. It’s super  _ manly _ , having a knife like that! Like, dude! I’m jealous!”

Katsuki then interrupted before the two could gawk over the lump of metal, “Hey, dipshits, I wanna go to  _ sleep _ . Stop drooling over the glorified kitchen utensil already.” He flipped Deku off, knowing that the Nerd was childishly sticking his tongue out at him. “Grow up, Shitty Deku.”

“Make me.” Izuku flipped him off back, before crawling in bed as Eijiro chucked a pillow at the light switch.

_ “Izu _ … _ ” _

The boy moaned in his sleep, tossing his pillow off of his bed as he jerked, flipping over to his other side. 

_ “Iiizuuu _ … _ ” _

He shuddered hard, not from the sudden lack of comfort from a missing blanket, but from something internal…

_ A flash of something yellow, deep, two eyes glaring at him, “ _ **_COME!_ ** _ ” the voice, if he could even call the feeling that, rang out in a commanding rumble, like that of a beast’s. _

Izuku jolted awake, not even a peep escaping him as he came to. His sped up, heavy breathing was the only indicator of his startled reaction, taking a moment to catch his barings- 

Immediately, he felt the almost  _ tugging _ sensation to just  _ go _ . Go into the desert. Explore. Search.  _ Find _ . It was beckoning him, more than just some sort of trauma influenced urge. There was this  _ voice _ , just egging him on. It was so powerful, he nearly fell out of his bed.

And he  _ needed _ to answer it.

Eijiro woke up hearing shuffling in the dark, the soft glow from the lights lining the room giving just enough soft luminescence to outline the person trying to quietly put things in his oversized, yellow backpack. “M… M-Midoriya…?”

Izuku nearly jumped out of his skin at Eijiro’s voice. He apologetically whispered, “O-oh!! Kirishima, I-I’m sorry, I d-didn’t mean to wake you up-”

If Eijiro startled him,  _ then Katsuki gave him a heart attack _ . The ash blond didn’t even bother whispering as he growled, “You moron… you’d wake  _ anyone _ up with all that racket.”

Seeing as how everyone was now awake in the room, Izuku snarked back, “Well, I at least tried, okay?”

“Still…” Eijiro rubbed his eyes, struggling not to yawn, but ultimately failing, his voice drawled as he spoke, “What are ya even  _ doing _ up this late-  _ early _ . Dude, it’s like 1 AM…”

Izuku flushed a bit, hating getting called out, “… I’m going out.”

“Oh, for fucks sakes…” Katsuki grimaced under his breath, before getting up himself.

“K-Kacchan…?” Izuku gawked at his friend in the dark. His confusion with Katsuki’s behavior was painfully blatant. “Wh-what are you doing-!”

Katsuki landed on the floor, not once having used the bunk ladder in all his time at the Garrison. “What does it look like, dumbass? I’m getting dressed. I’m coming with you.” He stomped over to the light and flicked it on, hurting all of their eyes, but he couldn’t give a shit. “Kirishima.”

“H-huh?” Eijiro stiffened, caught off guard by both the light and Katsuki’s attention, “Yeah?”

“Text Round Face. Or something. Pound on her door if you have to. We’re gonna use this as a team bonding exercise, or whatever you wanna call it.” He gritted his teeth, muttering, “Deku’s having a hard time, and it’ll make the team suffer if we don’t all try to help, because the Shitty Nerd doesn’t know how to grieve like a normal person.”

Izuku was… moved, if not mildly insulted, which he was used to at this point in his life from Katsuki. “Th-thanks, Kacchan… this is probably the nicest thing you’ve done for me-”

“Shut up! I’m not doing this for  _ you _ , asshole! I said the  _ whole _ team!” 

Izuku and Eijiro both had their internal sighing-filled moment.

“Mind telling me  _ why _ we’re breaking into the garage, again? At…” Ochaco had to squint through her bleariness to see her watch, before continuing, “… nearly 2 o’clock in the morning?”

Eijiro sympathized with her, both Bakugo and Midoriya having unnatural amounts of energy for people woken up that early. “Midoriya needed help with whatever he’s dealing with, and that, apparently, involves going out to the desert.”

Ochaco, who was contemplating strangling Bakugo and maybe tossing Izuku over her shoulder at this point, grumbled, “But  _ why _ the garage?”

Izuku finally got it to open up, Katsuki snickering at the fact that the easy going idiot knew how to pick locks. He explained to his two friends from over his shoulder, “Because… we’re gonna need  _ this _ to make the trip shorter.”

Even with their tiredness, the two gawked at the odd machine in front of them. With two massive propellers at the sides and a sleek body, they knew that whatever the heck it was,  _ it was fast _ . It screamed aerodynamics. 

Izuku shyly rubbed the back of his head, “Y-yeah… Toshi got me into hover-biking, since I could pretty much ride anything-” He glared at Katsuki, who began snickering over something he found funny. He ignored his brother, before grabbing from the bike's seat a thick, old fashioned, leather pilot's jacket with patches of all sorts, dusting it off before putting it on. His friends, including Bakugo, noticed the fingerless biker gloves he had on… the punk rock look was strangely suited on their normally timid companion.

Ochaco snapped out of her shocked state, admitting, “W-wow, Deku… I didn’t take you for a  _ biker _ …”

“Yeeeaaah… you’re not the only one, so don’t feel bad.” Izuku waved her off before strapping his backpack down on the back of the hover-bike… and dope slapped Bakugo when the blond muttered something about a piercing. 

“You’re just full of surprises, aren’t you, Midoriya?” Eijiro murmured, before heading over to the bike with Ochaco. 

“Yup. Surprisingly enough, the Nerd isn’t a total waste of space.” Katsuki nonchalantly agreed, still rubbing his head where Izuku smacked him.

“H-hey!!” Izuku cried out, before deciding to drop it, since Kacchan only began to guffaw at his expense. “Ugh, whatever. Shut up before we get caught, jerk.” 

Soon enough, they were flying across the desert, the land still cold from the night air. Even without morning light or strong headlights, Izuku knew where he was going. He knew the way to the well hidden house like the back of his hand. The seating arrangement was a bit tricky, since at most, only two people could comfortably fit, but with Ochaco holding onto Izuku’s waist with some of the seat to claim (much to Izuku’s flustered chagrin, not that she needed to know that, it was good that she got the seat), Eijiro behind her and Katsuki holding on in the back, everyone fit. Izuku was careful to call out any turns he’d be making, not getting too lost in his driving like he usually did,  _ especially _ out here with that odd energy tingling in the air.

As he came up to the House, he could hear Kirishima briefly explain it to Ochaco. He chuckled and slowed down, skillfully parking right in front of the porch. “Okay! Let me unlock it, and we can kick back for a bit and wait for the sun to get a bit closer. There’s water bottles inside… and a lifetime’s supply of Spam and dried ramen, because that’s just what every  _ not- _ hideout has,  _ Kacchan _ …”

Katsuki groaned, dragging a hand down his face, “For the  _ last  _ time, dipshit,  _ it’s not a fucking  _ **_hideout_ ** .”

“… do I want to ask?” Ochaco deadpanned.

Without turning to face her, Eijiro answered, “No.”

She nodded once, pursing her lips, “Okay.”

As they all got comfortable inside the surprisingly cozy living room of the House, Ochaco went over to Izuku, who currently was scrutinizing the cork board covered with odd pictures, mostly reoccurring cave paintings… of a big cat? Huh. She poked his side, knowing fully well that he wouldn't hear her in his deep-thinking state. 

And it worked. He jolted,  _ hating _ that she had figured out just how ticklish his sides were. "O-OchAco!!" He pointedly ignored the fact that his voice just  _ horribly _ cracked from the startle, clearing his throat with a hefty cough, "Wh-what is it? Did you need something, or…?" 

While trying to stifle her giggles for her friend's sake, she shook her head. "No, I just wanted to chat!" 

"… o-oh. Okay!" He felt a smile tug at his lips, always enjoying his conversations with her. "So what-"

"When did you get that earring? The little golden helix ring?" She pointed up at his ear, the earring in question hidden in his hair. 

"O-o-oh!!" Izuku felt his blood rush to his cheeks as he felt his eyes shoot down to the floor, unable to look up. "You saw that…" 

"Yeah, when we were on the bike! The wind was blowing your hair back, and I saw it when you turned your head!" She chuckled at how his head dipped lower in shame, "Don't be embarrassed, I think that's cool!" 

Izuku slowly found it in him to look up again at his friend, "Really…? Thank you, I-"

_ Tugging… rumbling…  _

Izuku went silent, his head whipping upward and directing his attention outside.

Suddenly, Bakugo came from the front door, shouting, "Hey,  _ love birds _ !! Something  _ huge _ just entered the atmosphere!!" 

They could hear Eijiro shout, "It's getting  _ closer _ !!"

Izuku and Ochaco both blushed at the unnecessary nickname, but they ran outside to join their teammates. 

_ "Safe… watch…" the growling whispered. _

Izuku felt his nerves begin to dissipate, instead watching the coming object in utter awe-! He went wide eyed, before dashing to his bike, going through his backpack. As the others watched him in confusion, he pulled out his binoculars. 

"Oh, great idea, Midoriya!!" Eijiro smiled, praising his companion's quick thinking… but soon losing his enthusiasm when he saw Izuku's expression turn frozen. "… Izuku? Buddy?"

Katsuki piped up, "Yo, Nerd! Earth to Deku, what the Hell is wrong-"

"It's… it's a  _ ship _ ." Izuku lowered the binoculars, before spurring into a frenzy, "It's not one of  _ ours _ . Guys, it's… j-just look!!" 

Katsuki snatched the piece of tech from Izuku, before looking through them-!! "Woah, what the  _ fuck _ !?!?" The spacecraft  _ definitely _ wasn't like anything made on Earth, that's for sure. It was a dark, crimson red, the edges sleek and  _ sharp _ , the design looking…  _ dark _ . Aggressive. Katsuki handed the binoculars to Round Face, his jaw dropped to the floor. 

"W-wait, are you saying that  _ aliens _ made that??" Eijiro felt his nerves spike almost as much as how his hair was spiked upwards. "Are you  _ kidding _ me?? C'mon, guys!! There's no such thing as aliens… right?" He felt his stomach drop when then Ochaco whispered words of amazement. 

There was a distant bang from when the ship crashed, but it was close enough to investigate, nor was there an explosion. 

_ The voice came back, again with only powerful emotions, but ones that were indistinguishable. "Go… save friend… needs help…" _

Izuku shuddered, be it from the presence that no longer was just whispering or from the chilly air, he couldn't decide. The only thing that was certain was this: "We need to go check that out. Someone needs our help." Without another thought, he climbed onto his bike, though he did wait for the others.

"Wait,  _ what _ !?" Katsuki may have cried out, but he was already getting up on the bike, "Deku, are you insane?? What if it, whatever the Hell  _ it _ is, is gonna kill you the moment it sees you??"

Izuku immediately turned his head to give Kacchan the most incredulous glare he could muster. "I didn't say you  _ had _ to come!! If you're so concerned, why the Hell are you coming??" 

"To potentially see your ass get kicked by an alien." Katsuki answered truthfully without a single flinch. 

"… okay, fair enough." 

Ochaco hopped up and settled in her spot from their first ride, “Well, we might as well stick together!”

Eijiro stood where he was, but he caved. “Aww, man! When you say it like that, Ochaco, I can’t help but join too! It’s not manly  _ at all _ to ditch your pals!” He scrambled up onto the bike, grumbling, “But I still think this is a stupid idea.”

“Shut up, Shitty Hair! We all die someday anyway! Death by alien is probably the coolest way to go.”

“K-Kacchan… knock it off, _ please _ .” Deku felt his eyebrow twitch, but he calmed himself, “No one’s gonna die, alright? We’ll just check things out.”

“Yeah, yeah,” The ash blond waved him off, “Just get this damned hunk of metal going, already!!”

The crash site was  _ hot _ . The sand carried the heat far from the long trail the ship made from barreling into the ground. The ground held some small flames, the ship had been so hot from entering the Earth’s atmosphere. Honestly, even if the ship was made by other lifeforms, it would still be a miracle if the person or  _ thing _ inside it was still alive. And the ship was surprisingly small, like a sort of shuttle instead of sophisticated spacecraft, an escape pod, perhaps? Yes, that seemed likely-!”

“Deku, you’re muttering again!” Ochaco again gently poked his side, snapping him out of his speeding thought process.

“Ah… thanks…” He bashfully looked down, though he did throw a dirty look at Kacchan really quick when he heard him snicker at his folly. He refocused on the situation in front of them, “The metal might still be very hot, and I don’t know where the opening would be-!” A lightbulb went off in his mind. “Got it!”

The three other teens were all confused by Izuku’s actions as the greenette shuffled away from the mini boulder formation they were hiding behind, when from a compartment in his bike, he pulled out a  _ crowbar _ . At their baffled expressions, Izuku merely shrugged, “What? After everything I’ve been through, I’ve learned to come prepared!” He pointed a finger towards his massive backpack as an example. 

As he began jogging over to the spacecraft, Katsuki was the one to shout, “Deku, wait!! Wait a fucking second- ARGH!” Reluctantly, he got up and followed the stupid idiot towards the craft, but not before turning to the other two, “Wait here. If that thing blows up, at least  _ two _ of us should survive.”

“But Bakugo-!!”

Eijiro cut off, Ochaco gasping loudly herself, as they saw Izuku getting ready to smash the front glass (or whatever the clear, dark material was) of the pod. In one powerful looking swing, Izuku brought down the crowbar with vicious force-!!

The ship’s screen glowed and repelled him backwards with a loud, electric sounding crack, an odd pulse rippling over the front half of the ship. Izuku crashed into the ground, the crowbar flying much further back behind him and clanging on the hard desert floor.

“Deku!!” Ochaco screeched as she immediately ran to his side, though she was second to reach him, since Katsuki was already headed over to the idiot, dropping to his knees and skidding over to his brother. “H-holy shit…” Eijiro gawked for a moment, before scrambling to his feet.

Katsuki was relieved to see that the moron wasn’t  _ bleeding _ , but he was still afraid of other injuries, like possibly hitting his head in the wrong way. He roughly shook Izuku’s shoulder, shouting, “H-hey!! Deku, wake up!! C’mon, talk to me… Mom’s gonna kill me if you’re dead!! C’mon…!!”

Everyone released their held breath when Izuku groaned, “Kacchan… stop shakin’ me, ‘m fine… ow.” He held up his hand to hold his head, luckily not having hit it too hard, just his butt and shoulder mostly… that was definitely going to leave a nasty bruise or two,  _ ouch _ .

The other teen sighed in relief, not caring that the other two were now up close too to hear it, “Oh my God, you fucking idiot… you scared the shit outta me.”

Ochaco lightly slapped his chest, some tears still stinging her eyes from the scare. “You should’ve braced yourself better, anyway!! You big dummy…”

When Katsuki offered a hand to get up, Izuku happily accepted. “Haha…  _ energy fields _ . Didn’t expect that…?”

The entire group froze in place (Katsuki nearly dropping Izuku back down in the process) when they heard the machinery whir and something opening with a loud cranking and an airlock’s  _ hiss _ from the other side of the spacecraft.

Izuku grimaced at his soreness, but with bated breath, he was the one to lead the group slowly to the back, quietly wishing he still had his crowbar, but… his knife would do, he guessed, reaching into his jacket and gripping the handle from behind him. He paused at right at the edge, acknowledging the fact that the other three were close behind, everyone tense with rising anxiety. He took a deep, quiet breath in to still his nerves…

He leapt out, unsheathing his knife and brandishing it with an intense look in his eye, quickly scouring the dark entry way to the-!!

The other three startled at the sudden sound of Izuku’s knife hitting the sand (especially Ochaco, having no prior knowledge of the blade), but even more so at the strangled sound of utter  _ shock _ that escaped Izuku as he staggered backwards. 

“T… T-T… i-it  _ can’t _ be…” He suddenly launched forwards, lunging down in a frantic motion, shouting, “TODOROKI!!”

The others were stunned at their friend’s outcry, scrambling to get a better look. They each dropped their jaws at the sight.

“O-oh my gosh…” Ochaco’s hands shot up to cover her mouth. 

“H-holy shit… h-he’s  _ alive _ .” Katsuki hesitated for a moment, before taking action to go help Izuku wake his friend up.

“I-is that… is that  _ really _ …?” Eijiro steadied himself, the shock almost overwhelming… he was seeing a  _ dead  _ guy, o-or at least, someone who was  _ supposed _ to be dead.

There, lying unconscious, but  _ alive _ , as Izuku was beyond  _ thankful _ to discover, was Todoroki Shoto, with his two-toned hair (though there was a new small stripe of white in his bangs on the left side with his red hair), same eye scar… and a  _ robotic prosthetic for his left arm _ . He grimaced in his sleep when Katsuki nudged him, his white and red eyebrows twitching.

“Okay, good… the moron’s not in a coma…” Katsuki sighed in relief. “Goddamn it… Half n’ Half comes back from the grave just to immediately scare the fucking  _ shit _ out of me, too. Next person to scare me today is gonna  _ wish _ they were actually-!!”

A scampering in the cockpit of the ship snagged all four of the teens’ attention. Izuku, after carefully setting Todoroki, got up slowly to his feet.

“Wh-what was that-”

Ochaco cut of when Izuku held up his finger to his lips, silently gesturing to quiet down. He tiptoed without making a single sound, before stopping at the slightly ajar, broken door to the cockpit. He carefully looked into the foggy glass-!! 

His entire body went rigid when he made direct eye contact with red eyes similar in hue to both Katsuki and Eijiro, only  _ luminescent _ and… soft. Trembling.  _ Tears _ were pouring out of the  _ tiny _ little creature that crumpled in on itself in the shadows. Through the tiny crack between both door panels, he heard the tiniest of gasps when he inched closer. 

_ “Protect _ … _ ” _

Yeah, he didn’t even attempt arguing with the voice at all on this one. Immediately, he relaxed, a large, blinding smile stretching on his face, much like the jovial one Toshi always wore to ease everyone around him if they were scared or upset. “H-hey… it’s okay!” He only grew happier when the small figure seemed to stop shaking in response. “Yeah, it’s okay! We’re here to help…”

“Izuku!” Eijiro cried out quietly, stunned with how Midoriya was going about it.

“Deku, what the  _ Hell _ ??” Katsuki began to edge closer, though he was still wary of the  _ fucking  _ **_alien_ ** the Shitty Nerd was  _ cooing _ to-!!

“Someone, go get my crowbar.” Izuku turned to face the group, an intense,  _ determined _ look burning in his eyes.

“… shit.” Katsuki deadpanned, dragging a hand down his face. He knew his brother too well, and he knew for a fact that the idiot was absolutely set on saving the damn alien. “Goddamnit… Round Face, go get the Shitty Nerd’s crowbar, it fell in the sand at the front.”

“O-okay!!” She didn’t even think to sigh at his nickname for her, instead just following orders… better than letting herself have a mental breakdown over the fact that they were saving an  _ alien _ .

“Shitty Hair, help me carry IcyHot to the flying-”

“Kacchan, insult my hover-bike one more time and you’re walking all the way back.” Izuku didn’t change from his calming tone, nor drop his smile, which made a shudder run through the other two boys’ backs.

“…” Katsuki grumbled quietly, before turning back to Eijiro, “Just help me carry him to the  _ bike _ .”

“Y-yeah, man!” Eijiro internally freaked out more over how Izuku could get  _ surprisingly scary _ when he wanted to.

Izuku turned back to the small alien, all anger vanishing instantly. He was glad that the poor thing was now easing closer to the door. “Hey, do you understand me?” He tried not to make the little one uncomfortable, so he didn’t approach the door any more. When he got an affirmative nod in response, he asked the first thing that came to mind, “Do you have a name?”

The small alien nodded her head, squeaking out, “E-Eri…”

“Eri? That’s a cute name. Very pretty.” Izuku internally, however, began to have a meltdown,  _ ‘Oh my gosh, she sounds so  _ young _!! Is she young?? What is a child doing on board a pod like this?? Why is she so scared??’ _ He cleared his throat, placing a hand on his chest, “My name is Midoriya Izuku-” he kicked himself for not thinking of how long his name probably sounded to the maybe-child, so he quickly stammered, “B-but people call me Deku! You can call me that if that’s better.”

“D-De… ku…” She tried it on her tongue, before she glanced back up at him with those warm eyes, “Deku?”

“Yeah! You got it!” Izuku felt his heart warm at how proud the small girl looked when he confirmed she had said it right-!”

“Deku! Here’s the crowbar!” Ochaco came back with the long metal tool, catching a glimpse at the small girl who retreated slightly back further in the shadows, “O-oh!! Hi there…” She quieted down, not wanting to scare off the surprisingly tiny alien. 

“Eri, this is Ochaco.” Izuku whispered a small thank you to her when she handed him the crowbar, “She’s very nice.”

“O-O… Ocha… co?” Eri murmured her name.

“Yup! You’re really good at names, Eri.” Izuku then crept closer to the door, “Eri, can you back up? I’m going to try and pry this door open so you can get out.” He saw the little girl nod her head, before she obediently shuffled over to the pilot seat. 

Right as he was about to start opening the doors, he heard Eijiro shout, “Uh, guys? You better hurry up!”

“We’re gonna have some pretty fuckin’ awful company!” Katsuki added. “The Garrison is just a couple of miles away!”

“Sh- crap…” Izuku nearly cursed under his breath, before looking at Ochaco, “Help me with this?” He noticed her hesitation, but it was understandable. She nodded her head and the two of them pushed and pulled to break apart the stuck doors-!

The moment the gap was large enough, little Eri slipped through and tackled Izuku’s leg, grappling on tight. It shocked him at first, but his heart instantly melted. In the better lighting, her milky fur covering her entire body was visible, though her hair on her head was long like a human’s. She had a long tail with a slight lion tip to it, a little button nose like a cat’s, a tiny horn at the center of her forehead and large, fluffy ears at the sides of her head that currently were drooping low. Her claws were pretty sharp, but Izuku could care less. Not only was the  _ definitely-child _ clinging onto him like a lifeline, she was in a tattered dress the same color as Todoroki’s odd garment, and little pink  _ scars _ littered the poor girl’s arms. 

He bent down and Eri immediately reciprocated his act of lifting her up into his arms. He turned to Ochaco and they both nodded their heads, Ochaco carrying both his crowbar and unknowingly his family heirloom, “I grabbed your knife.”

Izuku went wide eyed, sighing in relief, “Thanks. Here, just put it in the sheath. It clicks in place sorta.”

They rushed to the hover-bike, the two guys trying really hard not to react to the small furball in Izuku’s arms.

“Took you long enough, idiots.” Even Katsuki refrained from cursing in front of the child… sorta. “Half n’ Half’s body is getting  _ really _ freakin’ heavy.”

Eijiro used the binoculars, hissing, “Yeah, guys, we need to  _ go _ . They’re getting really close for comfort.”

“Yeah, I got it.” Izuku looked at Ochaco, “Can you sandwich her between me and you?”

“Yeah, sure.” Ochaco reached out, pleasantly surprised when Eri accepted her hold and even called her by her name-! Oh, her fur was  _ really _ soft. “Oh no, you’re too adorable…”

The tiny girl’s eyes flashed brighter for a moment, before mumbling a small, “Th-thank you…”, the sweetest looks of awe written on her face.

Eijiro murmured as he looked over Ochaco’s shoulder, “Aw crap… I’m a sucker for cuteness…”

Later in the safety of the House, Todoroki Shoto found himself waking up without a memory of his escape. But he sure did recognize his two friends, not surprised in the slightest when Midoriya nearly broke his back with an insanely strong hug and stained his already pretty ruined prison ware with even bigger tears and heavy sobbing. Hell, he nearly teared up himself, and he  _ knew _ he saw Bakugo tear up in the corner where he stood.

It was good to be home.

After getting changed into some of Midoria’s clothes, simple jeans and one of Midoriya’s sweaters, and enjoying some ramen, he looked over to Eri, who Ochaco put into one of Midoriya’s mom’s old pink shirts that were big enough to be worn as a dress on the tiny girl with a tail, along with one of Auntie Inko’s crocheted scarves, a bright cherry red one that covered her lower face, it was so big on her. She was currently clinging onto his friend’s back like a koala, refusing to let go of her dubbed “big brother”. “I see that Eri has taken a liking to you.”

Izuku blushed a bit, “Y-yeah. I guess she has.” He coughed into his fist, “I’ll admit… I’ve gotten attached too…”

“Yeah, no shit.”

Izuku cried out, “Kacchan!”, at his brother’s foul language, “No cursing in front of Eri!”

Eijiro joined in, “For shame, Bakubro, for shame. A real man does not curse when children are present.”

“Red…” Eri reached out and brushed at Eijiro’s dyed hair, before recoiling, “Pointy!”

“Haha, sorry, Eri! That’s from the hair gel.”

Ochaco deadpanned at him, “Still can’t believe you took the time to do your hair this morning…”

Before the two could bicker, Izuku turned to his reunited friend, “I still can’t believe you were on an alien spacecraft!” However, he was a little hesitant to ask, “What… what were you doing on there…? What happened…” He glanced at Shoto’s prosthetic, worry creeping into his mind.

Shoto also looked at his left hand, raising it up to look at it better. He rolled the artificial wrist, flexed his fingers… it feeling like a normal hand with fluid movement and not robotic whatsoever. “We were captured by hostile aliens. The Galra.”

Izuku felt his new little sister flinch at the mention of the race. He extended his arms and she clambered around to his chest so that he could hug her close instead. He sat down on the couch next to Ochaco, Eijiro taking the chair nearby and Katsuki deciding to sit on the barstool near him.

Shoto spoke of all that he could remember, not that it was much. He didn’t know why it all blacked out, but he remembered fighting in an odd gladiator ring, being forced to work as a slave… “But nothing comes to the forefront of my mind more than them repeatedly looking for something called  _ Voltron _ , and that it’s on Earth.”

Katsuki again cursed under his breath, Ochaco still shaken at the thought of him being tortured and Eijiro being unable to process most of it. It was… all so surreal.

At the mention of the name, however, Izuku went rigid. The presence… it came suddenly in his mind with such a powerful impact to his head, he nearly heard ringing in his ears. The voice said nothing, no specific emotions… just  _ recognition _ . “Voltron… I-I…” He didn’t pay any heed to the other’s in the room, not that he  _ could _ , going over to the cork board. Eri had migrated to his back again, so he wasn’t that surprised when her paw stuck out and pointed at one of the pictures of the cave paintings. He grabbed it, pulling it off of the board. “… Todoroki, do you know what Voltron might be…?”

Shoto shook his head, only confused about Midoriya’s actions like everyone else in the room, “No, though maybe it’s a weapon?”

“Lion!” Eri pointed at the picture, making everyone go quiet. After all, how in the world did an alien know about African big cats? Again, she squeaked, “Black Lion! Voltron!”

Izuku turned his head to glance at her, “Eri… you know about Voltron?” When she nodded her head, he looked back at the photo. “… I know where this is taken. I’ve seen the outside cave.” And whenever he got close, the presence told him  _ “Too soon _ …  _ wait _ … _ ” _ , but now seemed like the time to try ignoring it if it tried stopping him from exploring again.

Everyone was quiet for a drawn out moment, before Shoto sighed, “Well, no use in not investigating it.”

“A-are we seriously doing this?” Ochaco stood up in spite of herself, her curiosity and adventurous side getting the best of her, “Are we really going to look for this Voltron?”

“Sounds…  _ exciting _ , to say the least.” Eijiro threw his hands up in surrender to the mood shift, “I’m in!” He stood up, eager to see how everything played out, though he was still cautious about the whole ordeal.  _ Someone _ was gonna have to be there in case they tried doing something too reckless without the voice of reason there,  _ especially _ between Bakugo and Midoriya.

Speaking of Katsuki, Izuku glanced over to his life long friend, even if the latter was reluctant to call him that back, “Kacchan?”

Katsuki fumed for a moment, hating how everyone, including the half pint, all gawked at him like dumb, gaping fish. “ _ Fine _ … got nothin’ else better to do anyway.” He waved them all off, “Let’s go find this fucking weapon already and get it over with.” He pointedly ignored everyone, including IcyHot, shouting at him for cussing. “Calm down, the squirt’s not even from Earth. She doesn’t understand-”

Simultaneously, the other four shouted, “THAT’S NOT THE POINT!!”

“Deku, there was no map… how the  _ heck _ did you find this place?” Katsuki growled, gesturing at the massive cave that was about a mile out from where the House was.

“You’d make fun of me if I told you!” Izuku chuckled as he ran forwards with Eri riding on his shoulders, sitting up on top of his backpack and holding his head as he held on to her legs. She finally began to giggle at his antics, happily screaming, “Faster!” repeatedly, which he obeyed to the best of his ability.

“Okay, this is pretty weird.” Ochaco muttered as the small group followed Izuku and Eri. She rubbed her upper arms under her teal jacket, “Does anyone else feel that weird vibe, or is it just me?”

Eijiro shook his head, glancing around at the seemingly desolate area too, “N-no, I’m feeling it too…”

“I’ve felt this energy before, I think… or something similar.” Shoto glanced up at the ceiling of the cave once they entered it, “It was less strong than this, though. That I do remember-?” He did a small double-take when he saw the carving of a lion in the wall next to him. “… how did the Natives here know about lions?”

“They did the same way Squirt over there knew about them, genius.” Katsuki snarked.

Izuku rolled his eyes, but his attention was drawn back to the biggest discovery he made so far, “Well, whatever is going on here, I’ll tell you what’s different… the fact that I’m able to actually come  _ in _ to the cave itself…” He walked up to the biggest of the carvings, observing it in total awe for a good pregnant moment, before explaining himself to the others, “The energy here… it usually deters me away… I-I can’t really explain it right, like it’s this kind of… I dunno,  _ presence _ . Not ghost, but…  _ something _ .”

“No, I get what you mean… I think we all do, now.” Ochaco reassured him, chuckling a little as she spoke, “Honestly, I wouldn’t know what to call this, either!”

“I know: spooky ass shit, that’s what.” Katsuki nonchalantly ignored yet again the glares he got from the group.

Eijiro came over and patted Izuku’s shoulder, “Well, no wonder you were drawn out to the desert! Bro, you should’ve shown us this before!”

Izuku deadpanned, “Would you have believed me before?” He cringed, quickly waving his hand, “I’m sorry, d-don’t answer that…” He sighed, “I just… I’ve been dealing with this for years now. It was… very stressful.” His expression and tone only dropped more when he muttered, “I almost thought I had schizophrenia for awhile… I  _ really _ thought I was crazy!”

“Aww, Deku…” Ochaco frowned as she came up close to provide what comfort she could. Just like Eijiro, she held his other shoulder-! She giggled when Eri’s tail wrapped around her wrist.

“Oh, shut up, moron. You’re crazy anyway.” Katsuki rolled his eyes as he begrudgingly followed IcyHot over to the pseudo group hug, ruffling the Nerd’s hair.

“Thanks, guys-” Izuku chuckled, sarcastically monotoning, “Gee,  _ thanks _ , Kacchan,” before turning his attention back to the massive carving of a stylized, lion’s face-

_ Reaching out _ …  _ “Touch _ … _ mark _ … _ carving _ … _ ” _

Without hesitation, Izuku reached out and brushed away some of the dust from the ancient carving-!!

Purple, florescent light spilled out from within the cracks in the carved lion face, all around the other tribal carvings lighting up in the mysterious glow.

“Wh-what the Hell!?” Katsuki whirled around, backing up to the circle the group formed.

“What’s going on??” Ochaco cried out, yelping when another carving lit up right next to her, making her bump into Deku.

Before anyone of them could react, however, the floor below them lit up in an even stronger purple light. Without any warning, the floor began to crumble and crack, before it completely gave way. Like a slide, they slid down in the tunnel, Izuku holding onto Eri in a tight hug, Shoto utterly silent with fear plastered on his face- well, and mild annoyance from Eri’s scarf repeatedly smacking him across his cheeks, Eijiro falling backwards, Ochaco on her belly facing forwards and Katsuki trying to slow his decent by scrambling for any purchase his hands could find, though there was nothing but slick, cold stone. Except for Shoto, they all screamed and hollered as the smooth, winding tunnel took them down, down,  _ down _ , far into the mountain side than they could keep track-!!

They all crashed into one another in a massive pile at the very end, save for Eri, who was sheltered by Izuku who took the brunt of the impact from everyone hitting him.

“O-ow… Katsuki, get your butt off me!”

“Give me a second to stand up, Round Face!!”

“Todoroki, are you okay?”

“I’m fine, Kirishima. I should be asking you that. I think I hit you with my left arm…”

Izuku sighed in relief when he heard his friends all talking. And Eri was giggling slightly in his arms.  _ ‘Good, no one got hurt-’ _

A deep, rumbling growl tore his attention away from his own thoughts, the sound reverberating though what felt like his entire being. His head shot up- he scrambled to his feet with Eri in his arms still as he gawked up at the  _ behemoth _ sitting before him and his group behind a spherical, segmented force field. He could barely register the others following his lead as they all stared dumbly at the massive, robotic lion that looked down at them.

“H-holy…” Izuku murmured, Katsuki finishing his thought with, “… shit.” Everyone agreed and didn’t bother showing their disdain of him cussing around Eri.

_ A deep purring echoed in the cave- no, in  _ Izuku _. It tugged at him, beckoning him, almost eagerly, for him to come forwards _ …  _ “Long time _ …  _ waited long time _ … _ ” it-  _ he _ cooed. _

“… g-guys, do you hear it at all?” 

Everyone of them looked at Izuku, though any brief thought of him being crazy left. It wasn’t fair to call him crazy at this point. But, no one was going to lie, either.

“No, did you need to get your ears checked?” Everyone ignored Katsuki’s remark, which he expected.

“No.” Ochaco was a little disappointed, wanting to know what her companion was talking about.

“Nope.” Eijiro shook his head.

“I heard nothing, unless you’re talking about that humming sound from the energy field.” Shoto offered.

Izuku sighed, but it was hard to feel disappointed, especially when what was clearly the big lion’s voice was pushing him to come closer. “All this time… it was  _ you _ driving me insane.” He squinted his eyes in a humorously annoyed manner, a smile blatantly betraying him. When the lion’s almost  _ grin _ inside of his head bounced around his skull, he knew that the lion had no intention of apologizing talking to him.

The lion’s joy was infectious. Izuku, with Eri now on his back again, started running forwards to the massive energy shield. Right as Kacchan was starting to shout something about him getting sent flying from yet another force field again, the moment Izuku slowed down and rested a hand on the odd energy, the many segments fell away and deactivated. 

“… okay, that was fucking cool.” Katsuki admitted.

“Hell yeah!! They just disappeared!!” Eijiro cried out, waving his arms in the air.

“Amazing…” Shoto whispered as he stared up at the mechanical beast, his desire to know how it worked itching in the back of his mind.

Izuku smiled ear to ear, voicing what the lion crooned to him, “You ain’t seen nothin’ yet.” 

When the gargantuan lion suddenly stood up on its own accord and let out a mighty, overjoyed  **_ROAR_ ** , even Izuku staggered a little bit in place. Makes sense, the very ground shook with the lion’s power. The beast backed up a little, before lowering his massive head. His jaws opened up and revealed a stairwell inside…  _ and  _ a deactivated  _ cannon _ looking thing in the back. No big deal.

_ ‘Yeah, you don’t mean any harm! Eh, big guy?’ _ When Izuku got a surprisingly soft purr in response, he continued to run forwards, eager to see what was inside, but not before shouting, “C’mon, guys!” He was happy when Eri began bouncing on his shoulders, sharing his excitement.

Katsuki took a moment, before grumbling, “Okay, cool. He’s completely lost it. Remind me to tell the gravestone maker to add ‘Got killed by getting eaten by a robot lion from space’ to his epitaph.” To further illustrate his point, as if he needed to, he slowly dragged his hand through the air in front of him as if reading a headline.

“Oh, knock it off, Bakugo.” Ochaco rolled her eyes, following after Izuku, “If it wanted to kill us, it would have already.”

Shoto shrugged, following after her, “She’s got a point. Though that was funny.” He gave Katsuki a little thumbs up as a sign of his approval… which he knew would only irritate Katsuki further.

Eijiro sighed as he was caught in the middle of the sparks going off between the two.

Once up in the cockpit, Izuku set Eri down as he took in the appearance. It was lit with purple and almost turquoise blue accent lights, the entire control panel lit up with various gauges and information being displayed. There was only one seat in the center of the cockpit, which made some sense. 

_ “Sit! Sit!” _

Izuku laughed, swatting at open air, “Okay, okay! I’m sitting, I’m sitting. Cool your jets.” He sat down in the surprisingly comfortable pilot’s seat-! Before he could ask Eri if she wanted to sit on his lap, the chair shot forwards, making him smack his head against one of the long controllers in front of him. He rubbed his head hissing, “You did that one purpose…” The chuffing coos he got in response, a  _ laugh _ , told him that it wasn’t the first time he’s done that to someone. “Gosh, I feel bad for your other pilot…”

He heard Ochaco come in, “Who are you talking to, Deku?” She gave a low whistle as she gazed around the techno room.

“Oh, the lion. He  _ is  _ sentient, so…” Izuku still was rubbing his head, muttering, “If pulling pranks isn’t a show of intelligence, I don’t know  _ what _ is.” 

“Black’s funny.” Eri murmured from where she clung onto the back seat, having climbed up on it.

“Black…” Izuku went wide eyed, looking up at the ceiling, “Is that your name, big guy?” The affirmative rumble he got in response made him smile again, already forgiving the lion for the practical, yet slightly painful, joke. “Okay, Black. Nice to officially meet you.”

“Yo, what kind of name is  _ that _ ?” Katsuki muttered as he and the guys shuffled into the now cramped cockpit. “It’s not a dog, Deku.”

“Y-yeah, well I’m not the one who named him!” Izuku cried out indignantly. He sighed, before turning back to the controls- with some direction from Black, he let his hand fly across the control panels, the lion standing up as the screen in front of them flaired to life, showing the lion’s view as he let out another excited roar that they could all hear. “Okay! Here we go…”

The group all stiffened, except for Eri who was bubbling with joy.

“Midoriya…”

“Deku…”

“Izuku…”

“Deku, you Shitty Nerd, don’t you  _ fucking  _ **_dare_ ** -”

Without warning, Black launched forwards the moment Izuku grabbed hold of the controls, the boy nearly having no say in the manner. The lion bulldozed through the mountain wall, cantering along the sand with overflowing glee as he roared and growled.

“Woah!! Easy, boy!!” Izuku squawked, embarrassed over not having any control over the beast… though he’d be lying if he didn’t enjoy it. He felt Black’s joy coursing through him, and it was a little addicting. Okay,  _ very _ addicting. A laugh that was partially his own escaped him, thrilled to experience a sort of  _ freedom _ he had never experienced before,  _ definitely _ not to this grandiose of a scale.

“DEKU, KNOCK IT OFF!!” Katsuki screeched as he held a hand up to the ceiling, everyone except for Eri struggling with not falling over from the lion’s galavanting. 

“It’s not me! Black is doing this all on his own! I’m just holding the controls!” Izuku shouted over his shoulder. Black suddenly cooed in his ears, before the lion launched up into the sky, beginning to twirl in the air and defy gravity. Izuku jerked on the controls and next thing he knew, Black was  _ literally _ rocketing up towards  _ outer space _ .  _ ‘ _ … _ okay, now I’m a little worried.’ _ He looked back at everyone and with the most innocent expression he could manage, he chuckled softly, “H-hope no one left the stove on…? Heh heh…”

He wasn’t surprised when Katsuki smacked the back of his head in a dope slap.

“We die out here, and I’m haunting you in Purgatory.” Katsuki growled.

Ochaco cried out, “Where is Black taking us…? Why in space?” She looked out at the screen, still processing that yes, they were in space… via giant lion spaceship.

“Wait- how are we-  _ is that Jupiter?? _ ” Eijiro pointed at the massive planet right as it flew by them. In just a few seconds, the rest of the outer planets zoomed on by… at speeds absolutely  _ impossible _ to conceive.

Which only made Shoto even more impressed. “I need to know how Black works… this is utterly amazing…”

_ “Arcane power _ …  _ deep life _ … _ ” _

“I-I think… he’s saying… magic.” Izuku murmured, not really believing Black himself.

“… cop out.” Shoto muttered in response.

Izuku chuckled, before Black growled to him. “Guys, he says that there’s a ship up ahead-”

Before he could fully finish his sentence, a massive spacecraft, larger than  _ any _ manmade feat in all of history, appeared before them after rapidly slowing down-  _ hyperspeed _ . Something that  _ should’ve _ been utterly impossible just happened before them, other than the fact that  _ that was definitely Pluto they just passed, and with it, Kerberos _ \- 

Eri whimpered at the appearance while Shoto went silent, a different one than his normal stoic silence.

“Oh my gosh…” Ochaco paled.

“Holy  _ crap _ !! That’s… that’s a big ship!!” Eijiro cried out.

Izuku let Black lead him in how to properly attack the spacecraft. “We need to lure it away from Earth…” He and Black flew over to the blindspots and in perfect sync together, they clawed at the sides, Black’s talons slicing through the metal like butter and causing a chain reaction of explosions as he laid down lazy curly cues.  _ ‘Heh, guess that’s what happens when you live with the same voice in your head for, what, how many years?’ _ he asked Black.

_ The rumbling from Black felt like a soft smile, “Whole life _ …  _ but mostly last seven years.” _

“Huh, how ‘bout that.” Izuku chuckled, before refocusing on dodging and evading the shots fired at him and the now swarming fighter ships pouring out from the sides of the battleship. “Well, I think we made them angry-”

“YOU THINK!? THANKS, CAPTAIN FUCKING OBVIOUS!!” Katsuki shouted right into his ear.

“Ow, Kacchan.” Izuku deadpanned as Black began firing at fighters with his mouth and tail cannons.

“Dude, how are you even  _ piloting _ this thing!? We’ve only ever flown in  _ simulators _ !!” Eijiro also shouted, but more controlled than Katsuki.

“I’m not! Black is doing most of it, I already said that!” Izuku gestured to the controls with a tilt of his head. He turned his head back to the front, “Okay, buddy, get us out of here!”

As fast as the lion could, he rocketed forwards with insane speed. Sadly, it was only  _ just _ enough to get a little bit of distance between the battle ship and them.

“Midoriya, they’re gaining on us.” Shoto spoke up with sternness, hoping that something would happen soon for them to get away.

“I know, I know…” Izuku frantically looked around, trying to come up with a way to save them, while purposefully ignoring Kacchan’s shouting at him to think faster, yeah, like  _ that _ ever helps…!

Suddenly, an alarm popped up on one of the screens, garnering all of their attention. It served for a small heads up for the equally sudden appearance of a sudden  _ gateway _ made of blue and black, pulsating and swirling energy. Black crooned that they needed to go through, but still, Izuku told his friends first, “Guys, that’s a portal. Black wants us to go through it-”

A very  _ sick _ looking Ochaco (ah, yes… her weakness of motion sickness…) moaned, “I-if it gets us out of here,  _ please _ .”

“YEAH, GET US OUT OF THIS HELL HOLE-”

“Bakubro, please…” Eijiro tried to get the explosive blond to calm down.

“Deku…” Eri whimpered, “I don’t want the  _ bad man _ to hurt me or Big Brother Todo again…”

That was all the confirmation Black and Izuku needed. Izuku sighed, “Well, guess we won’t be celebrating summer on Earth tomorrow…” before slamming the controls down, spurring Black to go rocketing through the opened gateway, the portal end slamming shut right behind them and before the Galra ship could make contact as well.


	2. We're Going on a Trip in Our Favorite Lion Ship: Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The group of teens (and little white fluffball) come out of the other end of the warpgate, just to discover that their lives were even more drastically changed than they could ever have imagined, all of them part of something much, much _bigger_. Very big. So big, the entire sake of the universe is involved. 
> 
> Yeah, it's a lot to take in.

The turbulence from going through what could only be described as a  _ wormhole, _ yanking them through space at insane, breakneck speeds, jostled the poor passengers inside of the Black Lion to the point that they each thought that they were getting throttled out of their own bodies. Izuku, even with Black’s reassurance that they would all be fine, was still struggling with a fair amount of fear himself.

And almost as rapidly as the terrifying experience started, the end of the warpgate appeared and the lack of whiplash from instantaneously slowing down was admittingly more disorienting than had there been any.

“W-woah…” Izuku felt a smile twitch upward on his lips, his owlish eyes wide with disbelief. “That was-”

The sound of poor Ochaco retching up what little she had to eat that morning at the House broke the stillness of the moment, Eijiro immediately rubbing her back as she attempted to apologise. 

Eri tilted her head, attempting to reach out to the girl, when Katsuki held her back, “Let her be, Squirt. Round Face’ll be fine.” He snickered, “I’m just surprised it took her this long… after going  _ ludicrous speed _ .” He didn’t bother hiding the sass in his voice towards the greenette.

“Kacchan! Knock it off!” Izuku threw a nasty glare at his brother, before turning in his seat, “No, don’t apologize, Uraraka! It’s okay-”

_ “Girl _ …  _ Ocha _ … _ ” Black crooned in tones that were _ …  _ suspiciously suggestive, but the lion’s tone shifted to an appropriate amount of serious concern, “She alright?” _

Confused at first by Black’s whispering, somewhat perturbed, even, Izuku stumbled over his words, “U-Uraraka…” He cleared his throat, “Black was also wondering if you’ll be okay.”

Ochaco weakly smiled as Eijiro helped steady her, “‘m fine, Deku.” She patted the side of the control panel, unknowingly eliciting a purr from the lion, “Thanks for asking, Black.”

The soft rumble was hard to ignore, let alone the oddly placed feeling of  _ pleasure _ , but Izuku did his best to shove the big dork out of his head.  _ ‘Focus _ … _ ’ _ He glanced around on the display, noting that the  _ planet _ nearby was nothing like he had seen before, almost similar in appearance to Earth. “… the stars are different… the sun in this galaxy is similar to the Milky Way, but this isn’t our galaxy…! This planet has a larger moon than Earth’s!”

Katsuki snapped, “ _ Oi _ , Nerd, stop gawking and tell us what the Hell we plan on doing!” He gestured out at the screen, “Is  _ no one else _ gonna question the fact that  _ we’re lost out in fuckin’  _ **_space_ ** !?”

Shoto spoke up, “I agree with Bakugo. We need to assess what just happened. Where are we?”

After taking off his retro, golden sunset headband and letting Ochaco use it to keep her hair out of her face, Eijiro looked up, “What’s this planet?” He took in the admittingly breathtaking view, curiosity piquing his interest. He turned to Izuku, “Has Black said anything? Did he tell you what's going on?”

Izuku rubbed his forehead, the barrage of questions making it hard for him to figure out what to say-

_ “You’ll get used to it. You’re their leader.” Black rumbled in a matter-of-fact tone.  _

“What??” Izuku cried out in bewilderment, almost unable to process what Black had just crooned. 

“Deku?” Ochaco murmured, effectively calming her friend down, “Is everything alright?”

He ignored Black’s chiding,  _ “Don’t sound so surprised,” _ instead turning to Ochaco, “S-sorry, he was just trying to joke around, that’s all.” He glared at the controls, internally crying out,  _ ‘Just answer their questions, please!’ _

_ “But you  _ **_are_ ** _ their leader. They are turning to you-” _

_ ‘Well,  _ duh _!! I’m the only one who can hear you!!’ _

_ “Hmph _ … _ ” Izuku could feel Black shrug, saying “touché” in a sense, before the lion began flooding his mind with images… a massive, white castle, four other lions _ …  _ longing, home,  _ family…

“Guys…” Izuku looked up, a small gasp leaving him as his expression lifted in understanding, “I think… he’s going home.” Without any hesitation, he pulled the controls backwards, Black rocketing towards the planet.

“Wah-!? WAIT, WHY WITH  _ US _ ??” Katsuki screeched, “OH SURE, HE CAN GO HOME, BUT WHO CARES ABOUT THE FACT THAT  _ WE’RE  _ GETTING ABDUCTED!!”

“Well, to be fair,” Shoto interjected, “Black  _ did _ save us from the Galra warship-”

“WE’RE  _ IN _ A WARSHIP, ICYHOT BASTARD!!” Katsuki wasn’t backing down, but he at least stopped shouting when noticing Eri flinch, “I want to know why the  _ Hell _ this stupid big cat didn’t just drop us off back on Earth!! If he’s  _ so smart _ , he would’ve taken  _ us _ home!!”

“Kacchan…” Izuku deadpanned, “That would've led the aliens back to Earth. And besides! He’s still a ship. He needed help-” The four other lions that Black had shown him came to the forefront of his mind, with the help of Black’s rumbling, “… actually, I think he’s saying that he needs  _ all _ of our help.” Five lions… and the five of them… were they  _ really _ all going to pilot…?

_ A joyous, zealous series of growls and purrs filled the boy’s head- _

“What do you  _ mean _ , you  _ think _ ??” Katsuki spat, his anger rolling off in waves, “Are you telling me… this  _ whole _ time… you’ve been going off by  _ gut feeling _ ??”

Izuku flinched, both from Kacchan’s anger, and also dealing with Black’s sudden agitation from being interrupted. He took a moment to separate his own feelings from his lion’s- er, from  _ Black’s  _ emotions, before answering to the best of his ability, “I can’t describe it! He’s not exactly speaking  _ Japanese _ , Kacchan-”

The entire group paused, before turning to Eri, the little girl merely looking up at them as she wondered why they were all looking at her funny. Izuku was the one to ask, “Eri… how…  _ why _ can you understand us?” When she only shrugged in response, everyone sighed in disappointment. 

Black made sure to keep his entry of the planet’s atmosphere as smooth as possible for Ochaco’s sake, but he couldn’t help but push how fast he zoomed along. Once he was closer to the planet’s surface, he purred to Izuku, signaling his pilot that it was safe to increase his speed even further. As the lion flew over the landscape, the passengers all gazed in awe of the world much similar to Earth. It was rural, the plains covering vast distances with mountains lining the distance. There were no large bodies of water similar to oceans here, but from what they could see in the lion’s perspective were medium lakes and rivers. It was beautiful, familiar… if it weren’t for the fact that they were riding in a giant, robotic cat’s head, it would've been possible for them to believe they had simply gone back in time to the Great Plains of North America.

Izuku felt Black tug his attention and he looked over to where the lion directed. A small chuckle escaped him, Black’s excitement of being home slipping through. “Guys, look ahead! At the cliff!”

Ochaco gasped, “Is that… a castle…?”

Shoto whispered, “Beautiful…”

It was sleek in design, and when Black rumbled audibly for all of his passengers to hear, the blue lights at the tips of the five spires, the side panels of the walls and decorating in various places all lit up in unison. Along with the lake sparkling in the background, wildflowers of various pastels in the nearby fields, and clouds floating in the sky, it was truly an ethereal sight to behold.

When the lion landed on the paved walkway to the closed grand entrance, he lowered his head so that the group could exit. Izuku heard nothing more from Black, so he shallowly chuckled, “I guess he wants us to go in…”

Eijiro shrugged, trying to lighten the mood, “Time to meet the family.”

“They better have a way for us to go home…” Katsuki growled, begrudgingly following the group outside.

As they approached the entrance, Izuku frowned, “The door is closed.” He bounced Eri a little to entertain her, her cheery giggles easing some of his worries.

“I wonder if there’s a button or key of some sort…” Shoto glanced around, trying to see if there was any sort of clue-

They all nearly stumbled, minus Eri, when Black stood up on his own and let out a roar, the castle responding with opening up the massive doors. 

“… guess that works.” Eijiro calmed his breathing down from the sudden scare, grimacing, “Why did it have to be such a loud signal, though?”

Izuku turned to his friend, plainly answering, “Oh, fanfare, with a little bit of ego mixed in.”

“Ah. That…  _ huh _ , that actually makes a lot of sense.” He hummed a note in acknowledgement, “That’s pretty rad, now I think about it.”

“Eijiro, you’re so weird with your compliments.” Ochaco giggled as she playfully teased her friend, the fresh air and solid ground bringing back her color and normal cheeriness. 

The lights were still off when they entered the equally fantastical and futuristic castle, their steps echoing from how…  _ empty _ it was. 

"It's like… a ghost town." Ochaco shuddered, edging closer to Izuku and Eri.

"Yeah…" Izuku nodded his head, gulping heavily.

As they shuffled in further, cautious from the dimness, Eijiro couldn't help himself. "Hellooo…?" His voice rang out, shattering the silence around them and scaring the living daylights out of his friends. When they all turned and gave him various looks of disbelief, he merely shrugged-!!

The lights flared to life, flickering from apparently years of unuse, if the slight musty taste of the air wasn't proof enough. What  _ really _ startled the group, however, was the sudden digital sounding, feminine voice speaking overhead.  _ "Halt for identification. Prepare for scanning." _ Similar to the purple light Black had used to open the tunnel to him, a fluorescent blue light glowed on the massive, circular floor in the room. The light began to lift up, slowly traveling up and encompassing each of their bodies before they realized what was happening. 

"W-woah!!" Izuku jolted in place as he felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. 

"This is… interesting." Shoto couldn't hide his amazement with the advanced technology, patting at the places the rays of tingling light traveled across.

Eijiro looked over his shoulders and watched the scanner, "This  _ kinda _ feels like a breach in privacy, to be honest-!"

Ochaco had yelped loudly, before caving in on herself a little, covering her chest with her arms as her cheeks flushed redder than their normal shade, "Ya  _ think _ ??" 

The realization of what she was talking about managed to make all the boys red faced to various extents, even Katsuki, whom of which cleared his throat.

_ "Detecting vocal translator implantation. Detection failed. Commencing implantation."  _

"Wait, implant-  _ what now? _ " Eijiro inquired, nervousness spiking in the whole group-!?

As soon as they began worrying, everyone except Shoto and Eri felt a sharp shock like static electricity strike in their throats, slight ringing in their ears.  _ "Scanning complete. 6 confirmed intelligent lifeforms. 5 unidentifiable species. 1 Galra-Sylariz hybrid. 1 unidentifiable-Galra hybrid. 1 confirmed Paladin. Access granted. Welcome home, Black Lion and Black Paladin. Awaiting further commands."  _

Izuku hoarsely coughed, still feeling the tingling sensation settling down. Eri whimpered, leaning forwards to try and see his face better. "Deku? Are you okay?" He nodded in response, calming the little girl down. 

He smiled weakly, "I'm fine, Eri. Just a bit  _ shocked _ , that's all-?"

Shoto spoke up, realizing what happened, "The communication devices… they aren't traditional implants, after all." He sighed, looking a bit more relaxed than before, "That's good. I was worried those bastards did more to me than I could remember… also, Midoriya," he stared at Izuku with an even more mirthless manner than normal, "Stop it with the puns." 

"But…" Izuku was about to playfully whine at his friend, making Eri giggle, but he was cut off by Kacchan's frustration.

"Oi, what the fuck was  _ that _ ??" Katsuki roared, the slight soreness not bothering him as much (well, makes sense… with all the shouting he normally did). "I didn't sign up for this shit!! What happened to my throat??" He turned his head to start shouting at the ceiling, "Hey, computer hag!! Tell me what you did to me!!" When no answer came, the explosive boy only fumed more out of building agitation. "Damnit!! Someone better tell me how to get home!! I'm sick of this alien bullshit-"

He surprised everyone when he quickly added to the end of his tirade, "… but not the squirt. She's okay, I guess…" An irk mark appeared when Eri beamed with joy, Katsuki countering, "Oh, knock it off, Shortie!!" 

"Kacchan, shut up." 

He jolted in place, before snarling, "Run that by me again, Shitty Nerd-!?"

"Bakugo,  _ seriously _ , man! Look!" Kirishima held the idiot back and pointed up at the grand stairwell. 

Lights began sparking to life along in the hallway, a trail being made by the odd, blue fire lamps… was it fire? It looked almost fluid in movement, an energy of some kind. 

"… I guess we go that way." Ochaco murmured, inching closer to the group for comfort. She wasn't the only one who felt the tension rise, seeing as how even Bakugo edged closer. 

Izuku deadpanned internally when he realized,  _ yet again _ , that he was the one in the front.  _ '… guess I'm leading again. No big deal.' _ He glanced over his right shoulder and snarked at Katsuki, "Kacchan, why aren't  _ you _ taking the lead?? Don't you hate following others??" 

Katsuki broke his focus from the ominous lights leading to who knows where, snapping at his brother, "Can it, Deku!! We're in a fucking haunted-ass alien castle in  _ space _ … if something shitty happens, I'd rather it happen to  _ you _ first!!"

Everyone could tell it was a cheap cop out, even Eri. 

The castle was cold as they continued on, like the inside of an empty theater. The air was musty, dust floating around as the group slowly followed the trail of lights sparking to life as they progressed, at first going up the grand stairwell, but then being led downwards, continuously descending further into the depths. At least the air wasn’t damp and smelling of mildew. 

“How  _ big _ is this freaking castle??” Eijiro mused as he rubbed the back of his head, noticing how far his voice echoed out despite keeping it low. 

“Like Hell we know, Shitty Hair.” Katsuki snarked, trudging forwards with an annoyed scowl.

Shoto looked around, though he knew it was rather pointless. “We must already be below the ground level, in the side of the cliff.”

Katsuki roared, “Well, wherever we’re at, this is still fucking  _ stupid _ !!” 

“Gave you enough time to cool off, though.” Ochaco immediately quipped, nearly smiling when it got a snort out of Izuku.

Even so, before Kacchan could go off again, Izuku recollected himself as he interjected, “Guys, knock it off. I see a door ahead.”

The lights led the way to the closed door, though the moment they came within arm’s length, the mechanical door hissed open, dust falling away with a smooth  _ swoosh _ . The group was amazed by how the room it opened up to was so  _ big _ . It was broad, circular, the curvature elegant and more futuristic in looks than  _ castle-like _ . 

“This area is clearly more practical in design, not as grandiose as the main entrance. Maybe a sort of meeting place? Maintenance? It would make sense, if the computer led us here for something-!”

“Deku…” Ochaco cleared her throat, gently snapping Izuku out of one of his muttering sprees. She couldn’t help but chuckle at how rigid he went.

As Izuku frantically began apologizing, Eri giggling jovially, Shoto smiled softly as he decided to speak his thoughts, “Your muttering is shockingly calming.” His tone soured in the slightest, but his smile was still prominent, “I missed everyone, so it makes sense.”

“Todoroki…!!” 

Izuku didn’t get the chance to fully respond to his friend’s grim sentiment, because the room came to life around them. The lights flickered on, the group all coming together again-! Something from one of the circle formations on the floor-  _ a pod _ \- slowly rose up with the sounds of hydraulics, a soft mist circling around along with the dust that accumulated. Curiosity drew each of the teens closer, especially Shoto, seeing as how it was another technological marvel as well. However, they all jumped a little when the pod suddenly opened up. The front, apparently being some sort of energy field, dissipated in an instant. More mist formed from inside it, a chilly breeze escaping from inside. 

It was what was  _ inside _ that was more alarming. There stood a young woman, a little shorter than most of the boys (about the same height as Midoriya), her long, onyx hair hanging loosely around and past her shoulders, while she wore a tiara of sorts that rested on her forehead with a blue jewel, and a sleek, simple but beautiful white dress with red and light blue accents. Without any warning, her eyes suddenly flashed open as she let out a sharp, frantic gasp, before she threw her arm in a desperate reach, “ _ Father _ -!!”

Shoto dove in the moment the stranger began to collapse, just barely catching her even with his unexpected, quick reaction…? He, along with the rest of the group, immediately noticed her elven ears, the odd, check-shaped, light blue markings that  _ glowed _ on her cheeks, though Shoto got the better look of her eyes when she slowly opened them up again and looked up to meet his own. They were a deep, dark black, but her pupils were aglow in a pink color, an equally luminescent, thin ring of that same blue settled perfectly in her irises… Shoto would have to admit it if someone asked him, that he forgot how to breathe for a moment, they were so strikingly beautiful,  _ especially _ when they became intense as she stared him down with defensive caution.

“Who are you? What are you?” The girl’s gaze traced the scar on the odd boy’s face, how he, unlike his companions, had dual colored eyes and hair, and a robotic prosthetic… though each of them had something truly  _ dreadful  _ in common…

“I-I’m… I am Todoroki Shoto.” He answered a bit dumbly, at first, but how  _ else _ was he supposed to answer? “We’re humans-”

“Your  _ ears _ ! What’s  _ wrong  _ with them?” The girl, whose strength was already returning in rapid time, pulled away from Shoto, cringing as she looked at all of the  _ humans _ ’ ears, though it was obvious that she was trying her best to soften her tone, “I-I'm sorry! They’re just very…  _ deformed _ looking…”

As Shoto tried to recover from the completely unexpected comment from the now standing girl, Katsuki reacted in the way the group knew he would: “WHAT THE HELL IS _ THAT _ SUPPOSED TO MEAN, SPACE ELF!?  _ YOU’RE  _ THE ONE WITH FUCKED UP EARS!!”

“K-KACCHAN!!” Izuku cried out, Eri flicking her tail out of annoyance with their ridiculously loud companion from behind him, “Leave her alone! She just isn’t used to… well,  _ us _ !” He winced, glancing back over to the girl, “Though, it was uncalled for…”

She looked at the boy with green hair, a sight that was actually not that odd compared to the  _ ears  _ of these humans, and she sighed, “Yes, that was… that was certainly not the best way to have reacted.” She frowned with pure confusion in her tone, “But  _ what _ are you doing in my castle? Who are you people?"

Izuku noticed that she had her eyes set intensely on him… great,  _ another _ person who viewed  _ him _ as the leader. "We're just a couple of teens from Earth, w-with a rescued girl, too. We were actually hoping someone  _ here _ would have the answers-" He paused, before he lit up, "Wait,  _ your _ castle?" 

She nodded, before she straightened her posture even more, pride visibly swelling within her as she introduced herself, "I am Princess Yaomomo of Altea, heiress of the Royal Yaoyorozu Family and Castle of Lions…" she deflated as she finished, "… and, if what I am assuming is true, the  _ last _ Altean Noble and Sole Guardian of Voltron."

The group collectively reacted to the name _Voltron._ Izuku spoke up, "Voltron… so that means… Black belongs to _you_ , right? The Black Lion!" 

"The Black-!?" The princess went wide-eyed for a moment, before she scrutinized the boy, a sort of recognition sparking in her eyes, "That explains… yes. I see. The Black Lion brought you here." 

Izuku nodded his head, unintentionally shaking Eri a little bit as his excitement rose, "Yeah! He did!" 

Kirishima added in, "Yeah, the big guy was talking into Izuku's head, took us into space, and then through a giant portal thing!"

"Stupid cat abducted us and then got us lost in fuckin’  _ space _ ." Katsuki glared at the alien, "And I want to go  _ home _ already." 

"But…" she looked down and away, taking time to process, "That  _ still _ would mean…" Without giving explanation, Yaomomo made her way over to the center of the room, two pillars rising up from the floor, "I need to see how long we were in the cryopods." As soon as her hands met the glowing, spherical tops of the pillars, a holographic screen phased into existence in front of her.

Shoto gawked at the screens, "… so that's how  _ that _ works."

The sound of hydraulics drew the attention of the teens yet again when  _ two more _ cryopods began to rise up from the deck as well. The panels vaporized, revealing two more aliens: a male that was similar to Princess Yaomomo, another, taller Altean with short, navy hair, while the other female looked…  _ pink _ . Pink hair, pink skin, two little hooked horns protruding from the frizzy mop of bubblegum locks… when her eyes flashed open, the pitch black sclera and brightness of her golden irises startled the group.

Though not as much as how  _ loud _ the Altean was when he shouted, "ENEMY COMBATANTS!!" and launched out to try and drop kick Katsuki… only to end up failing miserably as the ash-blond boy merely stepped aside with an aggravated glower on his face. The male tumbled  _ hard _ , grumbling as he stood back up, "Curse my horrible case of chamber-knees!! Had I not been afflicted by it, I would have had you like so and-!"

"Tenya! Knock it off!" The pink girl cried out, before muttering, "Quiznaking cryo-replenishers!! I hate them!! They're so  _ cold _ !! It's gonna take me an entire varga and a  _ half _ to warm u-!!" She let out a high pitched sneeze, nearly stumbling over.

Ochaco went to the girl's side, "Oh, here! Do you need help?" 

“Ah! Thank you!” The pink girl’s elven ears twitched as she smiled, Ochaco noticing that she too had cheek marks, they were just hard to see at first since they too were  _ pink _ . She must have noticed this, because she mentioned it as she introduced herself, “Yeah, I’m used to new people being confused by my appearance. The name’s Ashido Mina, the Seneschal of the Castle of Lions, and I’m half Acerean, half Altean, though I obviously take more after my papa in color.” She stuck her tongue out a little as she beamed with comedic zeal.

Ochaco giggled, “Well, I happen to love pink and think it’s a nice color on you.” She offered her hand, “Uraraka Ochaco of Earth! It’s a pleasure.”

Mina raised an eyebrow at the gesture, but she beamed as she mimicked Ochaco’s offered hand, “Likewise!” She was rendered confused when Ochaco and two of the boys, the green colored one and the one with spiked hair, all reacted to her mimicking the human gesture. 

“Princess.” The young man, Tenya, drew the group’s attention to Yaomomo, the Princess’s mortified expression making the atmosphere instantly heavy. “What is the matter?”

“… we have been frozen for ten thousand deca-phoebes.” Momo turned to her old friends, “Altea is lost. Father… he sent the Lions to the furthest reaches of the universe… our people are  _ gone _ .” In spite of her valiant efforts to not cry and stay strong, she still broke on the inside. Her last memory, up until she remembered her father telling her that he loved her before putting her to sleep for the cryopod, was seeing her home world on  _ fire _ … she readily accepted the hugs she got from her two companions-?

Her ear twitched as she heard a  _ squeaking _ of sorts, like little voices trying to gain her attention. She turned to the pod she had been frozen in for such a long time, curiosity pulling her towards it-! Her heart warmed when she saw the little stowaways that had cheated time with her, “Looks like we aren’t the last ones after all.” Four mice of different colors, a family, looked up at her and readily scampered into her hands as she bent down with an offered hand.

“Mice! How in the stars did they get into your pod?” Mina cried out, leaning over a bit to Momo’s hand level to get a better look at the oddly  _ intelligent _ little creatures. She melted when the tiny, white girl clinging on the human leader’s back cooed from the cuteness that rivaled her own.

Yaomomo sighed, “I don’t mind. I’m just glad they were saved…” She didn’t succumb to the  _ anger _ she felt trying to rise inside of her, but she still hissed as she protectively drew in the miniscule family closer to her chest, “ _ All For One _ -”

Everyone turned to Shoto after the boy’s breath hitched, a look of pure terror in his grey and blue eyes. “… A-All… For One…?”

“Todoroki…?” Izuku approached his friend, worried by the fear so painfully visible in his body language, the rigidness in his stance. He let out a quiet sigh of relief, however, when Todoroki eased up at Izuku’s presence, as if him just saying his name reminded Todoroki that he was  _ safe _ .

“I’m fine.” Shoto reassured him further, a bead of sweat rolling down the side of his head, “Just… nearly went to a  _ bad place _ for a second.”

“How do you know that name?” Tenya questioned, drawing attention to himself, “If what the Castle data has shown is  _ true _ , there is no possible way for you to have been so vehemently impacted by him. Galra don’t live past maybe a couple hundred deca-phoebes, unless the current Emperor chose to go under the same name…” He rubbed his chin as he pondered the different possibilities, trying to make sense of the human’s very clearly real reaction.

(Eijiro turned to Ochaco, whispering, “What’s a deca-phoebe?” They both looked to each other with equal amounts of hopeless confusion as they sighed.)

“Could he… could he  _ really _ still be alive?” Momo felt Mina cling on tighter as she tried to imagine the horrid thought, even the  _ mice _ seemed to cling on tighter as well.

Shoto made direct eye contact with the Princess, “I don’t know for sure. All that I do know is that I recognize the name and with a face. Most of my memories are muddled in a sort of amnesia, if you understand. But the name All For One…” He paused for a moment, fighting back a shudder he felt like a deep rooted reaction within his spine, before continuing with an intense feeling of  _ hatred _ heating him up, “I recognize it all too well and would do anything to stop the Galran Empire.”

“Todoroki-”

Shoto looked at Izuku, noticing how everyone was staring at him, even Katsuki looked more put off than he normally let on. When his friend gestured and said, “Your hand…,” Shoto lifted his left hand up-!? “…  _ woah _ .” His prosthetic hand was illuminated in an odd, humming, purple light, heat rising off from it. It didn’t take a genius like himself to piece together that his robotic arm was a weapon. He calmed down, and sure enough, the glowing ceased, the metal and specialized padding on the fingertips and palms cooled off near completely in a single instant. “Amazing.”

"It's… Galran!" Tenya exclaimed, his glasses nearly falling off his face, his navy eyes wide, "There's no mistaking it! But why in the universe do you have a  _ weaponized _ , Galran prosthetic?" 

"And a Galran hybrid child…" Yaomomo glanced at Eri, before sighing, "I assume Computer picked up on your arm, Todoroki Shoto. It has been a long time… she may be in need of recalibration. It said two of you were hybrids." 

"Huh… that's odd." Ochaco frowned, making eye contact with both Eijiro and Izuku, both being just as lost.

Bakugo rolled his eyes, "We're all fucking  _ human _ . Of course it's  **odd** ." 

Shoto looked down at his hand again, "The connection _ does _ feel eerily natural." He then shifted his attention to Eri, who tucked behind Izuku shyly, "She was with me in the escape pod. I don't remember  _ why _ , but…" He made eye contact with Yaomomo, "She is terrified of the Galra."

"She's now family." Izuku beamed like the Sun as Eri crawled around to his chest so that he could hug her close. 

"A Sylariz…" Mina mused, "They're a nomadic species. Very rare and mysterious-!!"

"OH, WHO CARES??" Katsuki had  _ had _ it. He glared down the princess, barking, "We got you your stupid lion back!! I want to go  _ home _ !! Get one of those portal things to open up again, already!!" 

"Kacchan!" Izuku was agitated with his friend for shouting, but… he was right. "Calm down-?"

"About that…" The group turned to the princess, a sympathetic frown on her face, "… I'm afraid it won't be that simple. If we did so, when the Galra are already aware of even just  _ one _ of the Lions of Voltron being active, you would be leading them right to your world. It would be detrimental to your home’s safety." She took a moment, before she steeled her resolve, "And even so, if what you say is true, that All For One is  _ alive _ , then the universe needs Voltron even more than ever." 

Katsuki immediately snarled, "And what is  _ that _ supposed to mean-"

“You need us to pilot them.” Izuku didn’t care about the eyes on him this time around, finally feeling Black thrumming in the background of his mind yet again. A smile stretched on his face, a strange sense of pure excitement building up inside of him, like  _ anticipation _ . “The other lions… right?”

“Yes… how perceptive.” Yaomomo couldn’t help but chuckle at the green-haired boy’s wonder filled eyes.  _ ‘I can almost  _ see _ Black right there in this boy. Quite the pick, old friend.’ _ She felt her spirits lift as she turned, her two friends already picking up on where she was going to lead the group of soon to be Paladins, “Please, follow us. We have lots to be done, and in haste.”

Tenya nodded, “I will see if I can get Computer’s systems up and running to 100%. Get her scanners up to speed, watch out for any enemy craft.”

“Should I start on the Paladin armor fabrication?” Mina grinned eagerly, her fingers already twitching from mentally going through the various coding procedures she knew by heart.

“Yes, please get to it. They will need that armor soon.” Momo nodded, continuing on her way as she and Tenya stayed on course for the bridge, while their pink friend went off with a skip in her step.

Meanwhile, the humans were bewildered by how quickly things were escalating for them in such a short amount of time.

“Wha-?” Ochaco did a double-take, nearly tripping over as she walked.

“A-armor?” Eijiro paled.

Katsuki huffed, “I get up to go help my brother, and I get dragged into a goddamn alien war in space. Go fucking figure…”

“… sorry.” Izuku knew damn well that this was all  _ his _ fault, but… at the same time… he didn’t feel that guilty. Quietly, he apologised for that lack of sentiment.

Shoto patted Izuku’s shoulder, knowing exactly how his friend felt. “Don’t be, Midoriya.” He glanced down at his left hand, muttering, “I have a feeling we wouldn’t have had a choice either way.”

“Tch…” Katsuki clicked his tongue, but he knew Half n’ Half was probably right… though he didn’t plan on saying  _ anything _ about the odd ass feeling that he was getting. 

Little did he know, the group, other than Izuku and Eri, all felt that rising sensation that tickled in the back of their minds, something that Izuku was already used to.

Once in the bridge of the Castle, Princess Yaomomo again went to the control pillars at the center of the room on the raised platform, only there was a massive, beautiful, blue crystal hanging just overhead. A soft ray of light trickled down from it, and when Yaomomo approached the center, it only increased in vivid brightness. Up ahead, past the pillars and crystal, was a single seat with a large holographic panel, and further in the very front of the room was control panels of all sorts.

As Momo readied Computer, channeling her energy through the pillars, Iida Tenya, as he properly introduced himself, explained to the humans what she was doing. “Princess Yaomomo is a Noble Altean. Her Quintessence is integral to the functions of this castle, such as making portals and locating the Lions, so she is connecting with the castle’s systems. She alone is the key to the Lions’ whereabouts.”

The moment the princess opened her eyes, a spherical map of the entire universe, it seemed, expanded rapidly out. In the blink of an eye, the whole bridge seemed illuminated by the map made of soft light. Momo relaxed her posture and even though she left the pillars, the map stayed activated.

“Incredible…” 

“Amazing!”

“So  _ cool _ .”

When Katsuki let out a gruff sound of begrudging acknowledgement, Izuku chuckled endearingly. He knew his brother too well-! He, along with everyone else, all melted when little Eri whispered, “Pretty…” as she reached out and batted at all of the stars hanging around her.

Momo came up to the group, a smile gently tugging at her lips as she sensed already the different lions’ influence on each of the humans’ Quintessence. “You five have been chosen by the Lions of Voltron to be their Paladins. The bond between Lion and Paladin is a mystical one, one that not even Altean science can explain. The Quintessence, or  _ lifeforce _ , if you will, is reflected between both within the bond. I can’t explain why the Lions chose you five, but I can’t refute the fact that it is fate. There truly is no other explanation for it.”

She held out her hands and in it, a rather large hologram of what looked like a multicolored, masculine looking robot fighter appeared. Even if it hopped out of her hands right then, it would stand taller than everyone in the bridge. “Voltron is the Defender of the Universe, the protector of all. In older times, he was known throughout even the furthest reaches of space.”

“Ah, yes, the many glorious battles and feats performed by the original Paladins…” Tenya actually  _ choked up _ , wiping a tear away from under his frames.

“He looks so freaking  _ cool _ !!” Eijiro exclaimed, pumping his arms up a little.

“So colorful…” Ochaco felt her attention get drawn to the shade of blue on the right leg of the robotic wonder, for some odd reason.

Katsuki had no enthusiasm in his voice as he deadpanned with incredulous tone, “… he’s got  _ cat heads _ for hands… and  _ feet. _ ”

Meanwhile, Izuku squinted at the head of the robot warrior. It was…!!  _ ‘What the!?  _ **_Black_ ** _??’ _ He felt his jaw drop when he recognized the lion’s face right over the masculine one, but before he could fully process what he was staring at, the hologram glowed a brilliant white light, before Voltron broke apart into five separate shapes- they each turned into five similar, yet  _ different _ lions, each a different color with different personalities that you could just pick up on at a glance.

One of which was already  _ very _ familiar at this point, and very excitedly purring in Izuku’s head.

Momo sent the miniature hologram of Black flying over to the green-haired boy, noting how stunned he already was with a bit of mirth, “You all have already met the Black Lion. As the decisive head of Voltron, he needs a born leader as his Paladin, one who his men will follow even in the darkest of times. He cares for his team and remains confident through any storm…” She grinned wholeheartedly, already seeing how much potential he had, “That is why you, Midoriya Izuku, will be the leader of your team.” She held a hand to her lips, chuckling quietly at how bewildered the poor boy looked, unable to help herself from teasing him, “Though, I doubt there was any room for confusion for that.”

Izuku felt all of the color drain from his body, his eyes wider than saucers as his voice cracked horribly when all he could manage to get out was a small, “ _ E-e-eh _ ??” Weak… his knees felt weak, he felt his world start to sway… "Wh-why  _ me _ ? I'm not that brave… I mean, I'm not a  _ coward _ , but I'm not  _ courageous _ ! I don't know how to lead people, I never even got the chance to in the academy! Sure, Toshi taught me everything he knew and was always encouraging me to do my best and take lead,  _ b-but I didn't expect to be a leader of something of  _ **_this_ ** _ scale _ , maybe just something for drills and maybe a fundraiser or two! Wh-why would Black choose  _ me _ to be the leader?? He has been in my head for literal  _ years _ !! He should know I'm no good at taking charge of  _ anything _ !! I'm a nervous wreck about  _ everything _ !! And storms?? I still get scared if there's a thunderstorm at night!! I can't do this!! I-!!"

He let out a sharp squeak with a hitch of his breath when little Eri covered his mouth with her soft hands, as Katsuki shouted, "OH FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT'S HOLY, DEKU!! SHUT UP!!" 

Ochaco came over and rubbed his shoulder, "We were all trying to get you to stop, dork. You're  _ really  _ over thinking this! We  _ already _ were following you all day."

"Yeah, man!!" Eijiro nodded his head, "And who was the one who was willing to check the pod first? With a  _ knife _ ?? Dude, you're freakin'  _ fearless _ !!"

"And an idiot." Katsuki snarked, "You know… going straight up to that warship and  _ clawing at it _ . Stupid hero wannabe." 

Shoto spoke up, "You definitely are the most heroic, now that Bakugo mentioned it."

As the boy's cheeks turned red with the little Galra girl's hands still covering his mouth, Momo cleared her throat, only slightly put off by the amount of word vomit that escaped him in his thankfully short-lived panic attack, "Y-yes… you may be lacking in self-esteem, but! Black has already influenced you! You  _ are _ here, after all!" She chuckled, "You're a humble leader, the  _ exact _ kind that we need. Your confidence will build up in time, I'm not expecting you to be  _ perfect _ right away."

Tenya coughed in his fist, "Though we  _ are _ in a bit of a time crunch, but not to worry! With proper training, we'll drill in that confidence you're severely lacking!" 

"Iida!!" Momo smacked her friend's arm for the unintentional lack of tact. He hastily apologized, but she went back to showing the floating lions besides her. "Now then…" she called the Red Lion out and it rested in front of her. "The Red Lion is the fiercest of the Lions. She is the fastest, most agile… but also the most unstable. Moody. She needs a Paladin who reflects her rage, but is also strong-willed and sure. As the Right Arm of Voltron, the Red Paladin serves as the second in command and directly supports what the Head directs, being the main attacker of the team." She sent it out and it flew next to the still fuming ash-blond, "That is why you, Bakugo Katsuki, shall be the Red Paladin-!!"

"ALRIGHT!! FASTEST ONE OF THE BUNCH??  _ FUCK _ YEAH!!" Katsuki roared with joy, the little hologram roaring with him. 

"W-wait…" Izuku gawked at his brother, "K-Kacchan, you're  _ okay _ with this?? Following _ me _ ??" 

"Yeah!! So what?? Shut up already, Shitty Nerd!!" Katsuki huffed after snapping in a knee-jerk reaction, rubbing the back of his head as he curtly looked down and away, "You're… ugh,  _ damn it _ !! Don't make me say it out loud!!" 

Shoto deadpanned, "What? That he's the better leader-"

"SHUT UP, ICYHOT BASTARD!! NO ONE ASKED  _ YOU _ !!" 

As Shoto merely rolled his eyes, the princess sent over the Green Lion to him, "Todoroki Shoto, you will be the Green Paladin. The Green Lion is quick witted, clever, and what she lacks in size and strength, she more than makes up for in ingenuity and strategy. As the Left Arm of Voltron, she needs someone who reflects her brilliant mind, something that shines brightly in you. Calm and level-headed, you will serve as the intelligence of the team even in the heat of battle." 

Todoroki smiled and reached out to poke the little Green Lion, the hologram harmlessly gnawing on his finger in little love bites. "Cute…" He looked up and noticed a green planet with what appeared to be coordinates flickering in alien text, probably Altean, if he had to guess. "I assume this is where I'll find her?" 

"Very observant, Todoroki!" Tenya confirmed. "Currently, we are missing the coordinates to the Red Lion, however-!"

"WHAT?? WHY??" Katsuki jabbed a finger at Shoto, "Why does stupid Half n' Half get to find his lion, but I don't??" 

"You'll have to forgive me, Bakugo." Momo looked down, sympathetic of Katsuki's frustrations, "I cannot seem to locate her. Her signal must be being interfered with. I will be able to find her soon, once we calibrate Computer!" 

When she got an understanding Huff of acknowledgement from the Red Paladin, she continued on, the Blue Lion coming forth. "The Blue Lion is stable, sympathetic. She is bold and carefree, but also grounded, down to Earth. As the Right Leg of Voltron, her Paladin needs to be someone of great heart, as she, along with the Yellow Lion, carries the weight of the team and is nurturing and listens to everyone, but also is wild and sure with her attacks." As she spoke, the Yellow Lion came forth as well, "As for Yellow, he is the protective, sturdy pillar that supports all of Voltron's attacks. He is a gentle, caring lion who looks out for his team. He needs a Paladin who shares his unbreakable spirit and passion." The two lions flew over to Ochaco and Eijiro with two Blue and yellow planets appearing, Blue settling on Ochaco's head as Yellow bumped into Eijiro's chest, "That is why you two, Uraraka Ochaco and Kirishima Eijiro, will be the Legs of Voltron. You two as a duo will support your team with the compassion and fire you both share." 

Eijiro immediately cheered, rays of beaming joy coming from his blinding smile, "ALRIGHT!! LEG BROS!!" 

Ochaco readily reciprocated the fist bump Eijiro offered, giggling excitedly, "Heck yeah!! Leg Bros!! Kickin' it into gear!!" 

Eijiro lit up in excitement at the clever pun, "Aww yeah!! That can totally be our thing!!" 

Shoto looked to Bakugo, "Should we come up-"

"Not on your life, IcyHot." Katsuki immediately cut him off, visibly disturbed underneath the near-constant anger he radiated.

The doorway in the back of the bridge opened up and Mina came bounding in, "All of the armor is pending in the fabricator! That'll be done by the end of the quintant!" 

"Excellent. Thank you, Mina." Yaomomo grinned, before turning back to the Paladins, "Now then! No time to waste! We must get you to your lions."


	3. We're Going on a Trip in Our Favorite Lion Ship: Part 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Paladins all begin to get ready to go get the 3 lions that have known locations. Each of the teams have quite different experiences and author-chan nearly lost her mind from keeping track of 3 different things happening all at once 👍

“Your majesty.” The messenger, after deca-phoebes of practice, was able to completely mask the pure terror he felt in being in the Emperor’s almost suffocating presence, his voice clear and precise as to avoid wasting any of the ruler’s time. That would  _ surely _ mean losing his head, or  _ worse _ , becoming one of the Doctor’s many experiments. “News from System X-9-Y!”

“That primitive,  _ useless  _ system?” The powerful Galra didn’t even bother to face the messenger, instead seated facing the vast expanses of space, the many, many worlds he controlled. He didn’t continue to interrupt the poor Galra that was just doing his job, despite being bored already-

“Sire, there has been confirmed sightings of the Black Lion of Vol-” The messenger quieted down  _ immediately _ when the Emperor merely tensed in the seat with all of the different tubes attached, the Galra nearly squeaking in his moment of fright. 

“Well?” All For One’s tone was deceivingly calm, the messenger having witnessed only a few times before. He  _ knew _ that his Emperor was utterly  _ enraged _ under that facade of stoicness. “Go on. There’s more to it.”

Well… not obeying the Emperor was asking for his death. Cautiously, the messenger continued, “… the report stated… that teludav technology was-!!” 

“ _ Oh _ ?” The wicked, cruel grin that stretched on the Emperor’s face nearly killed the poor messenger from unadulterated terror. “Now,  _ that _ has peaked my interest. Whatever in the universe was my old acquaintance doing so far out in the void?”

_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_

“Well, this is quite the predicament!” Tenya noted as the whole team came to a wall almost immediately in the beginning of their plan making. With three  _ very _ distant locations to go to, let alone with whatever amount of time they were rapidly losing, they had run into the problem of needing multiple portals opened. “Reopening and closing the wormhole takes too much time and energy… and it’s not just a  _ machine _ . The Princess uses her own life energy to activate it.”

Izuku nodded his head, frustration blatantly painted on his face. Without even realizing it, he had taken up most of the plan making, though that was (funnily enough, the others had pointed out) the norm for him. “That’s not going to be an option. Yaomomo shouldn’t have to go through that.”

“And just getting the teludav started  _ once _ takes a lot of effort.” Mina grimaced as she thought about the strain it’d put on Yaomomo, especially right after awakening from the cryo-replenisher. It had been  _ 10,000 deca-phoebes _ , after all. 

“Oh, for goodness sakes, I will be able to handle it just fine!” Momo crossed her arms, frustrated with how the others didn’t stop to consider how strong she was-

“Wait! Something’s not adding up, here!” Katsuki suddenly thought of something, “If these portals need an Altean like the Princess, then where the Hell did that  _ other  _ wormhole come from?”

"Bakugo, that-  _ wait _ …" Everyone could clearly see the gears in Eijiro's mind start churning as he tried to figure the possible deus ex machina out. 

Katsuki cooled off enough to deadpan, "Don't fry your brain, dipshit. That's IcyHot's job." 

“… hey.” Shoto somewhat indignantly muttered.

Momo knew immediately what was the cause of the rogue wormhole… and it left a bittersweet taste in her mouth when she clarified, “My father.” Even though it was clear that everyone was impacted by the weight that came from just those two words, she refused to breakdown again, feeling herself stiffen throughout her body. She did  _ not _ want to get emotional… she  _ couldn’t _ . There  _ would _ be time for that later, just not right now. She  _ needed _ to be strong in this moment, keeping her voice leveled as she explained to the humans, “Altean energy… it can be stored. Not a lot, not without risk to one’s life… though,  _ that _ wouldn't have mattered when my father must have…” She trailed off, not needing to finish the statement. They all understood. Some of the fire in her eyes did fizzle out, but she remained poised, “It is not of any current importance. Just know that my father understood that the future Paladins would need a faster, safe way home."

Before anyone could try to say anything about it (she was rather touched that Midoriya, along with her two old friends, looked about ready to stop her so she would open up,  _ 'Another time, just not now, I promise,' _ ) she cleared her throat, subtly telling everyone that the topic was to be dropped. "Now then! Back to the matter at hand; I  _ can _ open up the multiple portals. Th-though, I’ll admit it will take some time-!”

“Momo!” Mina cried out in bafflement.

Tenya pleaded with his arms flailing up and down in rapid speeds (“He looks like a robot,” Eijiro whispered to Ochaco. “Maybe he  _ is _ one… or a  _ cyborg _ !”, she whispered back.), “Princess Yaomomo, you  _ can’t _ !! If you exhaust your energy like that, you’ll seriously hurt yourself-”

“Why not open up all three at once?” Shoto could care less about how they all gave him incredulous looks, but he explained, “It’s the activation that you’re worried about, right? If you’re worried about that, and the energy and time wasted, why not do one single activation instead?”

“That’s…! Hey, that’s a  _ brilliant _ idea, Todoroki!” Ochaco lit up, Eri giggling at how the girl bounced in place a little from her bubbly reaction.

Tenya blanked for a good moment, before he put some thought to it, “I mean… it  _ could _ work.”

“That’s our resident genius, for ya.” Izuku patted Shoto’s shoulder, grinning ear to ear at his friend who merely shrugged in response. “Okay…” he glanced up at the three different holographic planets hanging in the room. Pinching his bottom lip as he furrowed his brow, he thought out loud (thankfully not in a frenzied muttering storm), “It’s not ideal, since we don’t have many of us, but we’re in a bit of a time crunch.” He loosened up his stance, confidence in his team-  _ jeez,  _ **_that_ ** _ was gonna take time getting used to _ \- blatant as he beamed, “But that’ll be fine! None of us will be alone!”

Ochaco nodded her head, ruffling Eri’s hair to make her giggle even more, “Yeah! Not including little Eri and Princess Yaomomo, there’s seven of us!” 

Tenya interjected, “Ah…  _ six _ , actually. I am the engineer of this Castle, so along with the Princess, I will be keeping tabs on everyone as she focuses on keeping the portals open for as long as possible.” He pushed his frames up as he clarified, and though he was a very collected individual, the group all recognized the hint of pride in his tone. 

Momo nodded her head, “Yes, I’m sorry that one of your groups can’t have a third, but if I’m to keep three distant portals open, I’m going to need assistance.”

“That’s okay!” Mina bounced in place as she hugged Ochaco in a cheery side hug, “But one of you still gets to go galavanting with  _ me _ ! So it’s all good!”

Izuku nodded his head. “Yeah! If we leave in pairs, we should be fine. The only question is…” he looked up to Yaomomo, “would you really be able to do that, Princess? It won’t take  _ too _ much out of you, right?” As much as he was eager to get the lions, he prioritized the safety of his new friends,  _ obviously _ !

“I-I…” Momo realized she  _ didn’t _ know.  _ Could _ she? Was it ever even  _ attempted _ in the past? After a moment of thinking, she decided there was no harm in trying, especially in their current situation. She nodded her head, her onyx locks swishing as she gave Izuku a determined response, “I will do my best!”

“ _ That wasn’t a yes- _ ” Katsuki yelped when Shoto elbowed him, the other not even phased in the slightest by the murderous death-glare Katsuki gave him in return.

“And while you’re gone, I will keep an eye on Eri.” Tenya reached to pat the little Galra’s head, Eri surprising him as she shifted from Izuku’s back to his arms. With a distressed tone, he frantically apologized, “Oh! I didn’t mean to frighten you! My sincerest apologies!”

Izuku chuckled, “Eri! Iida’s not gonna hurt you.” When she looked up at him with those trembling, gem-like eyes of hers, he smiled reassuringly, “You can trust him!”

“B-but, Big Brother! I wanna come with you…” The little girl pouted, her claws hooking into his black shirt with odd symbols on it (it said “relax” in katakana, not that she would have known).

Her separation anxiety made Izuku want to squeal and hug her close. He wasn’t the only one, he heard some of his companions react with various squeals and whimpers. But, sadly he knew that he couldn’t bend to her desires. Gentle, yet stern, he steeled his resolve, “I’m sorry, Eri. We might be going somewhere dangerous! I don’t want you getting hurt!” He gestured with his gaze, causing her glance around to the room around them as well, “You’ll be safe here in the Castle with Yaomomo and Iida! And the mice seem friendly, too!” The mice confirmed it by squeaking excitedly, the big yellow one waving jovially.

Although she hesitated and hugged him quickly around the neck, Eri pulled away with an equally determined expression. If her Big Brother believed that she would be okay, then she would be brave! But, even with her gained confidence, she squeaked, “Just promise to come back soon!”

This melted Izuku’s and everyone’s hearts. He kissed her on the side of her forehead, earning a shrill sound of delight from her, “Of course. I’ll be extra,  _ extra _ safe, just for you.” He then had an idea, "I know! If it's not so bad, I'll take you there later! Sound good?" When she nodded her head with excited eagerness, he felt his heart leap, hugging her close again.

Ochaco and Mina squealed quietly in unison “ _ Sooo cuuute~ _ ” as Eijiro held his fist to his mouth, a manly tear escaping him as he murmured, “So wholesome…”

Tenya cleared his throat, though he couldn’t fight the smile off his face (not even Katsuki could deny the cuteness between the surrogate siblings). He held his hands out, “If you don’t mind, I can take her for you now.”

Izuku nodded, handing the Altean mechanic his Little Sister, “Thank you, Iida! She’ll probably just chill on your back.” He then refocused, clapping his hands together, “Okay! Teams: who should go with who?”

“Well, seeing as how our fliers do not support underwater travel, which will most likely be required in your part of the mission, Uraraka will be going with you, Midoriya. All of the Lions and Voltron himself can withstand most levels of pressure.” Momo stated as she swiped the icy planet hologram over to him-!

“ _ Eh _ ??” Izuku felt his whole body go rigid, while Black’s purring rang out in eager excitement,  _ “Girl! Nice girl! Fun!” _ It was almost as disorienting as the realization of what the Princess said alone.

Ochaco took no notice to his stupor, beaming excitedly when she poked his side, “Oh, yay! This is gonna be fun, right Deku?” She mumbled something about needing to clean up the mess she left in Black’s cockpit, her cheeks a little rosy from the embarrassing moment… 

_ “Fun! Very fun! Fly  _ extra _ gently for her, but still fun!”  _

The lion crooned  _ very _ loudly in agreement, his vocalizations bouncing off the confines of Izuku’s already shattered mind, the little jolt from her poking him making him cry out, “Y-yup!!” without thinking.

Meanwhile, Mina, Shoto, Eijiro and Katsuki each looked at each other. Tensions were palpable between the Red and Green Paladins, so without needing to say anything, Eijiro and Mina nodded to each other with knowing squints.

“Bakubro, come with me!”

“Shoto! Guess I’ll be going on a jungle adventure with you!”

While Katsuki gave Eijiro a brash look of confused acknowledgement, Shoto merely accepted the development, “Okay.”

Once preparations were made and Izuku (after he  _ insisted  _ that he help Ochaco clean up and that it was no big deal) flew with Black around to the main hangar, the teams all got together to wish each other luck before departing.

Mina giggled after they all had a group hug, Katsuki reluctantly joining in (he got yanked into it by both Izuku and Ochaco,  _ ‘Damned love birds _ … _ ’ _ ), “Did you all notice you’re already wearing your colors?”

They each paused and took a good look at each other. It didn’t even register right away (which made sense. Things  _ were _ rather hectic) that they were indeed wearing their designated colors. Izuku had his black shirt and black leather pilot jacket, Ochaco had her teal jacket and diamond pattern socks with pink and blue, Katsuki had a red skull tee over a simple black long-sleeved shirt, Eijiro wore his sleeveless yellow hoodie (and black Crocs with yellow and red underneath, what a  _ legend _ ), while Shoto’s turtleneck sweater was a gentle crocodile green.

“… okay, this shit’s creepy.” Katsuki was the first to admit out loud.

“I didn’t even think about what I was grabbing…” Ochaco murmured, before deadpanning at Kirishima’s _Crocs_ , “Why did I _just_ ** _now_** realize you were wearing _those_? You seriously took the time to do your _hair_ , but you wore Crocs.”

Eijiro cried out, “I  _ like _ them!! They’re comfortable!!”

Izuku rolled his eyes, before noting as he messed with his jacket sleeve, “I don’t know… I guess I’ve always been drawn to black and dark colors in general- Kacchan, I’m gonna ignore that ‘ _ emo _ ’ comment-, but…” he frowned, rubbing the back of his head, “even after knowing that I’m not crazy and there  _ was _ a voice in my head, I’ll be honest,  _ it’s still pretty jarring _ .”

Mina beamed, her cheek marks flashing brighter for a short instant, “Whelp! Guess you can all call it fate!” She didn’t know it, but this got a rumble of agreement from Black, the lion tickling his Paladin’s ears, much to Izuku’s chagrin.

But before any of them could make any further commentary on it (not that any of them actually had any idea as to  _ what _ they would say), Iida’s voice came from overhead through the intercoms, “Paladins! Princess Yaomomo is ready to open up the portals! Please get ready to go!” Soon after, Eri’s voice came overhead as well, adding on a sweet, “Good luck!” 

Izuku chuckled nervously as they all felt a shared moment of anxiety driven anticipation, “Well… guess this is it.”

Katsuki had a slight smirk on his face, “See you on the other side, Shitty Nerd,” his farewell gruff, but heartfelt either way.

Kirishima grinned, hoping to pump everyone up with a boost of confidence, “Let’s go get those lions!”

“Yeah.” Shoto smiled too, though he was a little put off by Mina’s eager tugging, “C’mon, Todoroki!! We shouldn’t keep the Princess waiting!!”

Ochaco pumped her fists in the air, “Let’s do this!” And without a second thought, she tugged on Izuku’s arm, matching Ashido’s exuberance, “Let’s go, Deku!”

“O-oh! Yeah, right!” He frantically nodded his head, before taking the lead to Black, who was already crouched down and waiting for the two to come back aboard.

The two fliers followed Black out of the hangar, Mina and Bakugo both piloting. Even with how hightech it was compared to Earth’s jets, it was still very similar, so Katsuki didn’t have too much trouble adjusting to the  _ throttle _ the spacecraft had. 

He  _ did _ nearly crash it on the ceiling of the hangar at first, however. “ _ H-holy shit _ .”

“D-don’t worry, Bakubro, you’ve got this…” Eijiro  _ said _ that, but he did grip tighter on his seat, getting a little pale-faced, “Y-y-yup… totally got this…”

“Not helping, Shitty Hair.”

Izuku came over the com system, both himself and Ochaco practically shoving their faces to the camera, “Kacchan!! Oh my gosh!! You guys  _ alright _ ??”

Ochaco added in, “I nearly felt my heart stop!! That was  _ scary _ !!”

Mina tuned in with Todoroki, the normally stoic teen looking  _ very _ worried, “Are you both okay-”

As Eijiro was about to reassure them that they were both alright, Katsuki screeched with heat coloring his cheeks, “NO ONE ASKED YOU GUYS TO FREAK OUT, WE’RE  _ FINE _ !!” They all ignored his embarrassed fit, every one of them having a collective sigh of relief.

Tenya turned to Yaomomo once the three teams were up in the air, “Okay, Princess! They’re ready.” As she activated the three separate portals, he went on the com system, “Okay! You all have about one of your human, Earth  _ hours  _ to find the lions before the portals close off. Don’t worry! These planets each are very peaceful, so if the portal closes, you won’t have to worry too much! A few quintants or phoebes on these planets won’t be  _ too _ bad.”

While Mina knew it was just a bad joke (the portals would be opened again as soon as the princess was well rested and they made sure no damage was done to the teludav), the humans all began to panic.

“Wait,  _ what _ ?”

“ _ Nononono- _ ”

“M-maybe this isn’t a good idea, then-!”

“YOU WAITED UNTIL  _ NOW _ TO FUCKING TELL US-!!”

The three individual portals simultaneously warped the two fliers and lion away.

Izuku and Ochaco both gazed in awe at the nearly frozen planetoid the Blue Lion was hidden on. It looked like the Tundra, with snow arches and hills breaking up the few woody, tree-like plants that somehow grew in the snowy land. The whole planetoid sparkled with wispy vapors hanging in the air like ghostly fingers, with dancing, rainbow, ribbons of light pulsating overhead like the Aurora Borealis against a backdrop of star filled space. 

“It’s so…  _ beautiful _ .” Ochaco felt herself getting slowly more and more breathless the longer she stared at the landscape Thomas Kinkade would’ve adored to recreate in a painting.

“It is-! Uraraka,  _ look _ !” Izuku pointed to the first animals they saw. They were fluffy, bird-like creatures with long tail feathers that hopped around and floated in the air with their stubby, thick “wings”, if you could even call them that…! “Fuzzy, fat manta rays!  _ That’s _ what they look like!” He proudly announced his comparison out loud, knowing Ochaco would appreciate it.

“Hehe, they totally do! They look a little like fuzzy balloons…” Ochaco giggled as Black passed by more of the odd, adorable creatures.

He snorted, “Oh my gosh,  _ they do _ . They're pretty cute!” Izuku glanced at the screen that Black was using to show him where Blue’s signal was coming from, “Hopefully, the animals in the water will be just as docile. Hold on!” He came up to the lake and Black broke through the ice on top, diving deep into the depths… squeaking just a  _ little  _ bit when his friend grabbed his shoulder by accident when stabilizing herself.

As Black swam down into the growing darkness, the two inside gawked at the luminescent creatures swimming around them, beautiful alien fauna of all shapes and sizes outlined in neon lights, a drastic change from the world above them as the aquatic life made the waters look like it was filled with living rainbows, stars and comets. Even the vegetation at the bottom of the body of water was all luminous in the same glowing colors. The lion purred as his two passengers gazed at the glorious view, many of the odd creatures equally curious about the strange visitors as they zoomed around the lion, leaving trails of light with twinkling motes where they swam.

Izuku allowed his gaze to drift away from the view a little, since Black had things covered. He looked up at Ochaco, chuckling immediately when he saw how  _ bright _ her eyes were, like a kid at Christmas. The fluorescent lighting around them illuminated her chocolate brown locks and deep, honey eyes with all the colors of the rainbow, giving her a cherubic appearance with those pink cheeks-! He flinched in his seat when she caught him totally  _ staring _ at her.  _ ‘Sh-shit!! She’s gonna think I’m a pervert or something-’ _

She snorted, covering her mouth to try and stifle her laughter at how flustered he suddenly got. She reached and nudged his shoulder with her fist, teasing him, “What is it, Deku? Whyja laugh?” She was thankful for the colorful lighting that hid how truly  _ red _ her cheeks totally were in that moment, because she definitely felt the heat in them.  _ ‘Why was he laughing? I didn’t do something  _ funny _ , did I?’ _

He nearly let go of the controls (Black  _ loudly _ protesting in response), wanting to wave his hands to dissipate the moment, “O-o-oh, it’s nOthing!! I swEar-”  _ Twice _ . His voice cracked  _ twice _ .  _ ‘What am I?? A prepubescent middle schooler?? For crying out loud!!’ _ Furiously, he cleared his throat in a hoarse cough, his entire body enflamed with embarrassment as she practically fell over with howling laughter. He didn’t blame her, he  _ was _ pathetic. Without any will to look up at her, he curtly gave an explanation, “You just looked really happy, okay? It made me think about that one time you told me you liked to look up at the stars and loved colors… it shows.”

As he puffed his cheeks in indignation and focused on piloting Black ( _ vehemently _ ignoring the lion’s suggestive purrs), Ochaco’s howling died down almost immediately as she realized he remembered something so small, so trivial, from back when she first met him years ago.

The vegetation on the  _ very _ green planet Shoto and Mina found themselves was so  _ dense _ , they had to land at a rather unfortunate distance from where the Green Lion was located.

And even with how beautiful the jungle was and how all of the creatures were gentle, even  _ cheery _ , Shoto was  _ not _ enthused. “I’ve never liked the outdoors, really. This is all a bit much.” There was a good portion of displeasure in his tone as he double checked that they were getting closer to his lion.

Mina only shrugged as she used her acid from her palms to “cut” away branches that blocked their path (much to Shoto’s shock, though she really just guessed that was what his reaction was,  _ ‘Odd, emotionless person…’ _ ). “It’s not  _ so _ bad. Nothing here wants to eat us, so I think it’s rather nice!”

Shoto tilted his head, humming in agreement, “Well… you’re not wrong. Not many bugs out here, either, except for the butterfly like ones.” He extended his right finger out like a perch for one of the slightly big, but pretty looking creatures with four pairs of shimmering, glass-like, leaf-shaped wings, a small smile showing on his face as he enjoyed the moment, “They’re okay. I like harmless bugs, like this one. It’s pretty cool.”

“Oh! That one looks like it likes you!” Mina giggled (a little confused by whatever in the universe a  _ butterfly _ was), before she lit up in excitement, “Hey, look! Up ahead! I see a clearing!”

Shoto paused his admiring of the creature, noting, “Is that a river? I hear water-!”

When they had come to the clearing, Mina  _ yelped  _ before latching onto Shoto, nearly making the poor teen topple over and activate his robotic hand. The space butterfly was spooked, but simply landed right back on his head, clinging to his hair. The obviously excitable Altean was spooked by the tall alien that was standing right next to them, something that Shoto could only describe as a humanoid  _ sloth  _ of some sort. 

As his energetic companion recomposed herself, he gave a small, awkward wave to the creature. Much to his surprise, the sloth smiled as he sauntered over to the river-? “A canoe…?” When the sloth waved him and Mina over, beckoning them to come join him, he turned his attention to the pink Altean, “I guess we should go.”

Mina openly gawked at him, “Wait,  _ really _ !?” She squinted her eyes at the stoic, dual colored human, “Why the quiznak are you so  _ calm _ ? It’s starting to get a  _ little  _ concerning, Todoroki.”

Shoto shrugged, “I’ve been in a space prison for a year.  _ This _ is nothing…” He then pointed, “Besides, look. The canoe has a lion head carved at the bow.” As he walked forwards to follow the kindly sloth man, he continued, “I’m positive that’s he’s our guide.”

Mina pouted, following closely behind, “Yeah, yeah. That much I figured…” She sat down in the canoe, mumbling grumpily, “I just wished he didn’t startle me.”

“That’s fair.” Shoto grinned, a quiet chuckle escaping him, “That’s a lot like how Midoriya is. He’s pretty jumpy too, always has been.”

His comment on his friend and how he sounded so fond for someone so inexpressive helped Mina calm down significantly, smiling herself as she pointed it out, “You sound like really good friends.”

He nodded his head, careful not to rock the canoe too much as the sloth set off from the bank, “He was my first friend. Really helped me. Actually, Bakugo, Midoriya and I go way back. We  _ are  _ good friends, and I’m glad I met them when I did. I knew Uraraka from before a little bit too, after she joined our group for classes. Kirishima I’m just now getting to know. He’s a good person, that was easy to figure out.”

Mina sputtered immediately, “Really?? You and the Red Paladin??” She openly guffawed at the absurd information, “You two don’t seem to like each other at all!!”

Shoto sighed, sweat-dropping, “That’s fair… Bakugo was a hard individual to understand, at first.” He looked out on the water, embarrassment starting to ebb its way into his mood, “I’ll admit… we still have a rather childish rivalry going on even after… what?  _ Sevenish _ or so years now?”

Having no idea what a  _ year _ was, Mina just laughed it off, “Seems like a long time!” When he nodded in agreement, she mused out loud, “I wonder how the others are doing…”

“Huh. Now you mention it, I do too.” Shoto looked upwards in a thoughtful way, hoping that all was well for the others…

“ _ AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!” _

“ _ HOLY FUCKING  _ **_SHIIIIIIIIT_ ** -”

The only thing that was being said in the Altean flier was  _ incoherent  _ **_screaming_ ** and panicked slurs. Eijiro had an ironclad  _ death grip _ on his seat as Katsuki flew for dear life, cussing up a storm as he made the best possible evasive-maneuvers he could manage when being gunned down by enemy fliers in a space craft that, if asked, he’d admit he had  _ no fucking  _ **_clue_ ** as to how to properly fly it. As soon as the two had approached the surface of the desert planet of stone and minerals, they were set upon by Glara fighters. He was winging it completely and getting  **stupidly** lucky with every, single second they were both still alive.  _ Breathing _ ? That… that was debatable, but at least they were  _ alive _ .

But he knew damn well that luck ran out at some point. In a desperate cry of rage, Katsuki bellowed, “STUPID FOUR EYES!! I THOUGHT THE DUMBASS SAID THIS PLANET WAS  _ PEACEFUL _ !!”

(Little did he know, Iida sneezed back in the Castle, surprising little Eri.)

“M-maybe peaceful means something different in Altean!” Eijiro cried out, clenching his eyes shut when his partner performed yet another evasive maneuver with many loops-!

“Kirishima! Look at that scanner thing Pinky gave you! Tell me where that stupid cat is hiding! I got a plan!” Katsuki didn't care to elaborate when he gunned down 3 of the fliers that he managed to dupe. He heatedly urged Eijiro on yet again, “Hurry up, Shitty Hair!!”

“Oh!! Okay, okay!!” Eijiro reached for the tracking device and was beyond thankful that they were miraculously close by the hidden lion. He pointed down to one of the mine entrances, shouting, “Bakugo! Down there! In that cave!”

He was  _ not _ reassured by the crazy grin that stretched across Katsuki’s face, or the  _ eerie _ tone that he used when responding, “Oh, yay… my plan just got a  _ whole _ lot cooler.” Without any explanation or warning of  _ any _ kind, he jammed the controls forwards, making Eijiro screech at the top of his lungs from the two plummeting towards the ground. At the very last second, Katsuki yanked the controls towards himself to bring the ship back to a flight pattern parallel to the surface, before zooming over to the cave…  _ at full throttle _ . 

“ _ B-B-Bakugo… _ ”

“Shut up and trust me!!” Katsuki knew what he was doing now… there wasn’t anything to mess up. He couldn’t  _ afford to _ , no pressure.  _ 'Yeah, no fucking pressure at all.' _ Once the timing reached him, he slammed the breaks, jerking the controller to the side as they skidded across the sand. The flier rotated as it drifted, the guns now facing the enemy as the craft narrowly made it into the cave entryway. Without a moment’s hesitation, he opened fire on the enemies, but also to the rocks overhead at the entrance. Blowing up some of the fighters and sealing off the cave, the flier began to slow down just enough so that the impact with the back wall was fine, just a harsh bump, the entire mad ride rough and bumpy through the whole experience.

Eijiro felt like he wanted to either puke or pass out,  _ or  _ **_both_ ** , whimpering as he quivered in the seat of the now severely damaged spacecraft, “M-my life just flashed before my  _ eyes _ -”

“That went a  _ lot _ better than I thought it would.” Katsuki bluntly pointed out, hardly looking frazzled at all from the few seconds of action. Noticing his friend’s obvious bafflement with his lack of a reaction, he responded nonchalantly, “I’m actually scre-  _ shouting _ on the inside and might be in shock, so stop gawking, Shitty Hair.” He did his best to mask just how  _ shaky _ his breath was as he sighed and forced his body into action, getting up to exit the busted flier, “Let’s just… go get that stupid lion already, damnit.”

“O-okay…” It took some effort, but Eijiro was able to pry his hands off of the seat before following Katsuki out. 

The Black Lion broke the surface of the water, gently landing on the ground of the hidden, underwater cavern, the plethora of crystals along the walls, ceiling and ground providing light with their many, twinkling colors. Izuku and Ochaco were blown away by yet another place of beauty on the planetoid. Even some of the stalactites, stalagmites and pillars were made entirely of crystals, solid masses of multicolored beauty decorating the cavern further.

“This is so surreal…” 

Izuku nodded his head in agreement, “Yeah…” He glanced at the map Black provided, “Blue should be just up ahead. Black’s sensors aren’t picking up any forking paths.”

“Okay! That’s good to know.” Anticipation bubbled to the surface of Ochaco’s mood, eager to meet her new partner. As soon as Black lowered his head down, she nearly bolted for the door-!

“Hey, wait up!” Izuku scrambled out of the pilot’s seat, “Jeez, Uraraka! Gimme a moment to stand up, wouldja?” He chuckled a little despite his faux hurt tone.

Ochaco immediately blushed hard, embarrassed by her own excitement fueled behavior, “O-oh, sorry.” Rubbing her head, she admitted, “I didn’t know you were coming.”

He was taken aback by the comment, his eyes wide as he struggled to figure out how to  _ speak _ , “Wh-why… what do you  _ mean _ ?” Now, the hurt laced in his voice was a bit more real, “U-Ura…  _ Ochaco _ ! I wouldn’t just…  _ let  _ you go out in the cave by  _ yourself _ !!”

She frantically waved her hands, now fully ashamed of herself, “Nonononono, I didn’t mean… I honestly wasn’t thinking!! I know you wouldn’t, I just…” She reached up to yank at her long side bangs, wailing, “That was so messed up, I’m so sorry…”

“H-hey! I-i-it’s okay!” He was genuinely  _ relieved  _ that she didn’t  _ actually _ think so little of him, a soft sigh escaping him. His lips twitched upwards as he cautiously reached and took her hands away from her bangs, though he quickly let go once her locks were free, “Don’t stress over it… we all have our dumb moments.” He couldn’t help but tease her, sticking his tongue out at her a little, “Payback for spooking me.”

Ochaco let out an abrupt sound of astonishment, before playfully smacking him on the shoulder, Izuku letting out a series of giggles, “Not funny, Deku!!”

When they began carrying on (Ochaco thought it was the cutest thing when Deku patted Black's snout after the lion closed up and said, "I'll be back, Big Guy."), they were not only met with the trail of blue, lion carvings that added even  _ more _ beauty, but also brisk, chilly air. Ochaco, having only shorts on and not the warmest of jackets, was shivering horribly. "Br-r-r… i-it's  _ really _ c-cold!!" She rubbed her shoulders wildly to try and make herself feel warmer, but to no avail. 

Izuku didn't think twice when he shrugged off his own jacket to cover her shoulders further, "Well, it  _ is _ an ice planet… and your legs are…  _ bare _ ." He bashfully looked up and away, even though it was mostly just her knees and a little bit above that was exposed.

The inside of the jacket was soft and fuzzy with the wool lining, plus  _ super _ warm because Izuku was a walking furnace, as she and the rest of their group had discovered a while back.  _ 'Did… did he wear cologne-! Shush, Ochaco! Focus!' _ In an act of countering her own stupid thoughts as she stubbornly gripped tighter on the borrowed jacket, she snapped, "I dressed for the  _ desert _ , not an  _ ice planet _ ! Gimme a break!" 

"Hey, hey! I'm not judging!" He had no clue as to why she was getting snippy at him,  _ 'Maybe she just  _ really _ doesn't like being cold?' _ Assuming that was her problem, he innocently grinned, "You can wear it for as long as you like, okay?" 

She sourly mumbled, "Okay…," before allowing herself to gaze around at the beautiful crystals. "… it  _ is _ pretty, though. Had I known I'd be here, I'd've grabbed warmer clothes to enjoy it more." 

"Yeah…" Izuku looked up blissfully at the twinkling jewels, rambling out loud, "It almost reminds me of Christmas. Snow, pretty lights, peaceful…" He trailed off a little, old emotions making the comparison more bittersweet than he had intended. But! He shook the thought out of his mind, spontaneously getting an idea. "Here!" Without giving an explanation to his actions, he went ahead of her to a cluster of some of the gems. Finding a few smaller ones, he took his knife to carefully pry them out from between some of the larger gems. 

"What are you doing-?" She stopped in her tracks when he let out a small, goofy cheer of success, awkwardly holding his hand out to her with his closed palm facing down. It was obvious what his intentions were, so she reached out. In her hand, he dropped the jewel he broke off for her, a tiny pink stone that was roughly the same size as a pendant. She didn’t know why, but the action somehow made her feel warmer, "Aww, Deku…" 

"So we can always remember this! And I got one for Eri, too." He sheathed his knife after pocketing the more redder in color gem, before he shyly scratched at his chin with a bashful look, "N-not that… you'd probably forget it, now I think about it… since we're getting your lion… um-!"

She giggled, cutting him off before he could start doubting his act of sweet sentiment, "I love it! Maybe I can turn it into a necklace later! Thank you, Deku. I mean it-!" 

_ A low, soft rumbling filled the girl's ears _ …

"U-Uraraka? Are you-"

She brightened up in more brilliant radiance than the crystals surrounding them, "Deku!! I hear her!!" She didn't wait for him to process when she grabbed his hand and yanked him along, the cold air completely forgotten as she shouted, "She's over the hill, come on!!" Not giving her poor friend any chance to catch his feet under him  _ just to  _ **_maybe_ ** _ keep up _ , she dragged Izuku further into the glittering cavern. When the top of the spherical shield came into view, Ochaco felt the lion’s joy begin to mingle with her own.

Izuku nearly toppled over completely once his friend came to a halt, but he was able to catch himself. He caught his breath from the excitement, looking up to see Ochaco’s reaction… he nearly lost his breath all over again when he witnessed the look of pure  _ awe _ painted on her face. He grinned as he nodded his head, “It’s amazing, isn’t it?” When she nodded her head slowly, he asked her, “Can you see her smiling?”

“I can  _ hear _ it in her purrs.” Ochaco quickly glanced at Izuku, who gave another encouraging nod, before the two took off towards Blue.

“… give me a ride back over to Black?” Izuku sheepishly poked his fingers together once Ochaco made contact with the now dissolving forcefield.

She playfully rolled her eyes, “ _ Yeah _ … I guess.” She drawled out her words, faking her annoyance.

He caught on and continued the joke, “Well, if it’s such a  _ bother _ , I guess I’ll just-!!”

Ochaco grabbed onto the back of his collar when he had slowly turned around, earning a startled yelp from the boy as she sighed, “Just get in the lion already, dork.”

The jungle surrounding the river became denser with every passing second on the calm waters. All of the creatures around them were singing and letting out different coos, trills and squeaking noises, multi-armed ferrets poking out from the bushes and cheering on the canoe. The glass-winged butterfly still stayed perched upon Shoto's head, the boy deciding that he'd keep the adorable, friendly creature. 

While he preferred the quiet, he had picked up on how Mina was a  _ talker _ , somewhat similar to how Midoriya was. He didn’t want her to be uncomfortable, so striking up a conversation with her seemed like the best option. He decided to ask her questions about  _ her _ friends, after having said a bit about his own… especially since they were all going to be living together, apparently. “So… the Princess. Tell me about her-”

“Oh, I  _ knew  _ I saw those  _ lovestruck _ , grey and blue eyes of yours getting drawn to her~” Mina sneered, though it was in good natured teasing, “Makes  _ sense _ why you’d ask about Momo first.” 

“What?” Shoto’s eyes widened in utter confusion.  _ Lovestruck _ ? “What do you mean? I’m not in love with her, I don’t even know anything _ about  _ Princess Yaomomo yet.” 

“N-no… not-” Mina sighed, though she was quickly starting to figure out that this particular human was too literal with things. “Lovestruck doesn’t mean  _ that _ , though maybe my point is being lost in translation?” She looked genuinely concerned, humming a note of frustration.

“ _ Oh _ .” Shoto relaxed with a small note of relief, clarifying for her, “You meant it in an  _ infatuation _ kind of way. Yeah, I guess that might be the case, then.” He looked upwards at the overhanging branches above the river, leaves and tiny flowers falling off occasionally to float in the river around them, “She  _ is _ beautiful. I didn’t mean to ask about her first, though. I’d like to get to know more about  _ both _ the Princess  _ and _ Iida.” He turned to give her a small, but genuine smile, “Feel free to talk about yourself too, if you’d like.”

Mina’s cheek marks glowed brighter, a bit dumbfounded by his honesty with her. But! She wasn’t one to not take up an offer on chatting about her best friends, “O-okay!” She steadied herself with a quick breath, beaming as she spoke, “Well, Momo is part of the reason why I even had a job in the palace in the first place! Nothing against the King and Queen, they loved me too- and that’s  _ not _ me being prideful, or anything, they said so themselves-, it was the others in the  _ city _ that couldn’t stand hybrids like myself. They said for  _ deca-phoebes _ that my kind especially were bad for Altea’s image, since Acereans are so… well,  _ different _ , obviously.” To prove her point, she formed a little blob of acid, though it was more like a simple bubble without any acidic affect, before she stuck her hand in the water to rinse it off. “But Momo looked past that, even as young as she was back then. Literally pulled me off the streets out of pure luck. Said I was special, funny,  _ brave _ … all the good things!”

“How generous…” The Princess going past appearances and looking at Mina for who she was and not her outer appearance… Shoto couldn’t help but find it so  _ amazing _ that someone of Yaomomo’s position to do so. “That really is so kind of her.”

“I know.” Mina held her fist close to her chest, “It’s things like  _ that _ that prove it when I, or even Iida, say that we love her and don’t serve her and her family just because of their rank and employing us. The whole Royal Family was so good to us and the people…” A single tear from the sorrow in her heart rolled down her cheek, before she quickly wiped it away-?

“You miss them.” Shoto took in how emotional she sounded, before softening his tone, much like how he would when Midoriya would freak out, and even Uraraka once or twice, “It’s okay, you’re… you’re grieving. It’s normal to get emotional about it- unless it’s different for Alteans?” He shook his head, “No, nevermind. Either way, you can… you can talk about it, if you want. I’ll listen.” 

Sure, he was a bit clumsy with his words, but Mina could tell just how hard he was trying to cheer her up. A few more tears escaped her eyes as a single chuckle escaped her, “Thanks, Todoroki. You’re alright…!”

Shoto didn’t catch her gasp, continuing to try and help her, “Thank you. I want to be better at helping others, so I hope I can do that for y-”

“Todoroki!! Look!!” Mina excitedly turned around while pointing ahead where the boat was headed, 

The way the forest lit up with even more green was somehow breathtaking to Shoto, all distaste for being out in nature temporarily forgotten. He  _ quite nearly _ jumped out of the canoe before the silent sloth-man pulled up to the shore, excitement that was a mixture of his own and another’s-  _ his lion’s _ \- began tickling the back of his mind, a similar moment of joy that matched waking up to seeing his friends after his year of Hell. He didn’t mind the fact that Ashido giggled at how eagerly he leapt out of the canoe once it stopped moving, his butterfly flying as quickly as it could to keep up with him as he ran. He  _ knew _ he must’ve seemed ridiculous, but he couldn’t help himself. He clambered over the  _ huge _ vines that blocked his way, hearing his girl’s purrs egging him on, beckoning him closer and closer. He was thankful for his left prosthetic’s resourceful aid, the metal hand providing a powerful grip, easily clinging onto holds between the foliage that created a plethora of obstacles between him and Green…? 

Once he hoisted himself up to the top-most vine and caught his breath, he realized that he had nowhere left to go. Careful not to fall down, he turned around and around, beginning to worry that he somehow managed to miss a giant, robotic cat-!! Right from below him, a golden hue of light coming from Green’s gentle eyes shone through from the vines that grew over her energy shields. A smirk tugged somewhat at his lips as his butterfly again clung onto his hair, Shoto letting out a small “Hup!” as he immediately dropped down in-between some of the gaps of the brambles to reach his new partner.

Mina had just given her farewells to the kindly sloth, when the world shook around her, the loud cacophany of branches and vines snapping and slamming against the ground demanding her shocked attention, as the Green Lion launched upwards with a mighty roar, breaking free to fly with her new Paladin. 

Once she boarded, Mina snickered, “For someone who’s so deadpanned, you  _ sure _ do make for a passionate flyer, Todoroki. Green looked  _ really _ happy.”

Shoto bashfully looked down away from his new friend, unsure of how to respond… because she  _ had _ a point. “O-oh, yeah. I, um… it’s fun.” When she started laughing, he was confused as to why, “What’s so funny? Was it something I said?” He only was met with more giggles and his own confusion, as Green only purred sympathetically for her Paladin.

It was honestly a fucking  _ miracle _ that the two managed to get the big ass elevator to work, Katsuki internally monotoned. Both of them were amazed by the glowing yellow lion carvings, even if the Red Paladin would deny it.

“Yooo… this is so  _ cool _ !!” Eijiro brightened up along with the glowing symbols and artwork that continuously popped up as they descended, “I could get used to my color! It’s warm, bright… I bet Yellow is just like that-!”

“Wouldja  _ shut up _ ?” Katsuki growled, an irk mark popping up on the side of his forehead. “Why the Hell are you so damn happy!? We could’ve  _ died _ . Weren’t  _ you _ the one who was crying like a little  _ baby _ the entire time!?”

“The adrenaline’s still kicking in, man. I’m  _ wired _ and trying  _ really hard _ not to wig out. Lemme alone.” Eijiro pouted, turning his head to the side, “You’re just miffed about not getting  _ your _ lion, yet…” Right as his buddy was about to cry out in a small rage, the red-head ignored him, pointing ahead, “Look, we reached the bottom. Calm down, Bakubro.”

Sure enough, the side gates lowered for the two of them to get off. Katsuki grimaced, reluctantly listening to his companion. “… you know? This is getting fucking ridiculous. We’re  _ stupidly _ lucky. There aren’t any of those damned drones down here, not even a single guard.”

“Must’ve all left when we first arrived.” Eijiro followed the trail of illuminated lions, continuing on, “I don’t know, I’m not gonna look a gift horse in the mouth- woah,  _ what _ ?” The trail led up to a solid wall of rock, a large, circular design much similar to the Altean portals illuminated, but the wall remained intact. “Oh,  _ no _ !! How are we gonna get through-”

“Hey, Shitty Hair.” Katsuki deadpanned as he yanked Kirishima’s shoulder to redirect where he was going, jabbing a thumb behind him towards the  _ fucking  _ **_massive_ ** mobile drills, “ _ Look _ before you make yourself look like even  _ more _ of an oblivious idiot.”

“… o-oh.” 

It didn't matter that neither one of them could drive the intimidating piece of machinery well… just aim and hope it demolishes the wall. The drill was  _ awful _ , the screaming  _ grating _ of the whirling spike against the strong, sturdy rock sounding like the horrible discord of nails scraping against a chalkboard, but on  _ steroids _ , so much so that the boys had to cover their ears and hope they didn't bleed… along with hoping the drill didn't blow up. That'd be nice. 

Once the wall finally gave way and crumbled down in a large heap of broken boulders and rocks, Katsuki scrambled to turn the damned thing  _ off _ . The boys both looked to each other and took a moment to sigh in relief and savor the blessed  _ silence _ .

"… remind me  _ never _ to do something like  _ that _ again." Eijiro muttered. 

"… agreed.  _ That  _ was a fuckin'  _ nightmare. _ " Katsuki nodded his head a little, massaging his temples. "I don't even get this bad of a headache yelling at Deku's stupid ass or getting yelled  _ at _ by the Old Hag."

"U-ugh, yeah. I'm gonna hear that sound for weeks-!!" 

Right as Eijiro was going to continue complaining with Katsuki, a  _ new _ sound filled his ears… but even despite being a low growl, it was absolutely one of the most soothing, comforting sounds he had  _ ever _ heard, a kitty's purr that just wanted all of the attention you could possibly give, all the while returning the favor with warm cuddles, even despite the fact that the ginormous lion could never do so. It was the thought that counted, that's all that mattered. All of the joy in the universe flooded Eijiro’s very  _ soul _ when he saw the giant, handsome Yellow Lion that would’ve  _ totally  _ wagged his tail at the sight of his new Yellow Paladin. His rumbles were so deep, even Katsuki could feel it traveling in the ground below them.

Speaking of the Red Paladin…

“… this fucking  _ sucks _ .”

Eijiro, and even  _ Yellow _ , immediately understood. He placed a sympathetic hand on Katsuki’s shoulder as his friend bitterly resented the fact that he was left behind, since Red was still to be found.

They boarded the Yellow Lion, Eijiro unable to help himself from chuckling at how  _ happy _ his lion was, and as soon as he sat down and the control panels popped up, the com system activated, Tenya coming through, “Oh, perfect timing, you two!! The Princess needs you two to hurry up!! You’re the last ones to come back-”

An explosion, most likely from the entrance of the mine, the two noted, echoed out, though the shockwave  _ barely _ jostled the  _ tank _ that was the Yellow Lion. Eijiro realized that although his lion was apparently not as quick as the other lions, his lion more than made up for it in terms of armor. Although he would  _ never _ wish it upon his boy, Yellow could take a beating and shrug it off. When another explosion sounded off, Eijiro grinned up at Bakugo, “Guess it’s time to go.”

“Yeah, no shit!” Katsuki barked, though he did catch a bit of the excitement from the two.

“I-I’m sorry… a-are those  _ explosions _ ??” 

Katsuki remembered his earlier frustration, and it fueled his rage in an instant. “YEAH, FOUR EYES!! SO MUCH FOR THIS HELLHOLE BEING _ PEACEFUL _ !!”

“Bakugo, calm down!” Eijiro rolled his eyes, before having Yellow fly upwards in the cave, “But yeah, Iida! There’s hostiles here-!!” Both he and Bakugo let out startled yelps when Yellow suddenly surged forwards and  _ barreled _ through the stone walls with ease, the sharp light of the planet’s sun making the boys flinch and shield their eyes. Eijiro gawked at his lion’s control panels, “… h-holy woah, Yellow! You really  _ can _ take a beating… warn me next time-!”

“SHITTY HAIR, WHAT THE  _ FUCK _ !?” Katsuki cried out, his eye twitching from the startle, “ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL US!?”

Eijiro was barely phased by Katsuki’s loudness, deadpanning, “Says the guy who nearly crashed the flier  _ how many times _ ?” He frowned as he flew upwards, “Calm down, it wasn’t  _ me _ . Yellow did that on his own and didn’t suffer any damage-!!”

The plasma bullets from the enemy ships began raining down on Yellow, the drones having been alerted to the lion escaping from inside the cliffs.

Eijiro’s voice cracked a little, “O-okay… resistance against enemy fire? Don’t wanna test that!” He sent Yellow zooming towards the direction of the portal out of the planet’s atmosphere as fast as his lion could go, which was  _ just _ enough to lose the drones.

“Finally! Let’s get the Hell outta here already!” Katsuki barked right before the Yellow Lion was sucked into the portal that slammed shut after them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THANK QUIZNAKING GOODNESS CHAPTER 1 IS NOW COMPLETED!! ONWARDS TO CHAPTER 2 _AND YET WE'RE STILL ONLY ON EPISODE 1 SCREW ME_.


	4. First Battle! Instructions NOT Included! Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With everyone back safe and relatively in one piece, things start to look up for the Paladins and their new Altean friends. But things aren't always going to go well, especially amidst an intergalactic war spanning many whatever the Hell a deco-phoebe is. At least Little Eri remains adorable through it all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HAHAhHHaHahAHaHaha I _updated_!! Am I currently dying from being sick as a dog? Yes! Am I horribly sleep deprived? Yes! Will I ever learn how to be better at taking care of myself? Probably not! But what counts is that I had a Helluva time writing part 1 of chappy 2 and can't wait for y'all to read! I hope y'all enjoy <3

“I hope Kacchan and Eiji are okay…”

Izuku and Ochaco were both attending the little Sylariz while the group waited (semi)patiently for Katsuki and Eijiro to come out of the elevator from the Yellow Lion’s hangar. Izuku’s very heart nearly burst out of his chest when Eri used  _ his _ nickname for Kac- er,  _ Katsuki _ . He was glad Ochaco was currently the one holding the child… he may have squished her in a hug if she wasn’t. “Don’t worry, Eri! Just like the Princess said, they made it through the portal! They’ll be here-”

“Deku…” Ochaco sighed, shaking her head with a tired smile, “Don’t lie. You’re the most worried out of all of us.”

“I-! H-hey, thAt’s-” He hoarsely cleared his throat, cheeks ablaze from the numerous sets of giggling and chortling he heard from throughout the bridge, “ _ That is a completely fair emotion to feel. I care deeply for my team- _ !!”

Everyone turned to the elevator doorway in almost perfect sync the moment Katsuki and Eijiro both came in, groaning from obvious discomfort and pain. 

“ _ Ugh _ … that fuckin’  _ sucked _ .”

Eijiro popped his neck with a single roll, “Ah. Yeah, man, you said it.”

Izuku released his arms from their criss-cross, all fluster forgotten as relief overtook him, completely oblivious to Ochaco’s sputtering. “Kirishima! Kacchan!” He jogged over to meet them halfway, "thank  _ God _ , you're both oka-" 

"SHUT UP, SHITTY DEKU!!" 

Izuku tensed to a halt on one foot, stopping any additional concerns with a chopped breath and unamused expression as he corrected his posture. "Really, Kacchan?"

Eijiro patted Katsuki's shoulder, chuckling, "Easy, Bakugo." He turned to everyone, "We're fine. Yellow came in clutch and saved our asses back there." 

"That's a relief." Todoroki mused with a relaxed breath-?

Eijiro tilted his head, “Uh… Todoroki?” He pointed up at the dual-colored boy’s head, “What’s that?”

The glass butterfly flapped his wings as Shoto introduced him, “This is Cho. He’s my friend now.”

Ochaco piped up as Eijiro nodded his head with a confused, but accepting, smile towards Shoto, "It's great that you came back safe!" She felt her heart quite nearly burst when Eri mimicked her eager pose with both fists openly raised in front of her chest.

Katsuki rubbed his aching neck, glaring daggers at Tenya, " _ Yeah _ , no thanks to  _ Four Eyes _ ." 

Tenya stiffened, "Judging by how you addressed me earlier as that…  _ oddly _ inaccurate description of my facial anatomy, I assume you're referring to  _ me _ ." Despite the slight offense he felt, his tone was heavy with remorse, "I do apologise, however; I genuinely had no intention of sending you into a dangerous battlefield without warning! I have no information on Galra mining colonies-"

Eijiro waved the mechanic off, "Iida, don't stress out over it too much, my dude. You didn't know… besides, Bakugo's just being a little bit grouchy!"

"ASSHOLE-"

"Huh? What do you mean?" Ochaco blatantly talked over Katsuki's raging, "What's wrong?" 

"Oh, he's just jealous about us getting our lions first.”

Katsuki's expression betrayed him long enough to show how shocked he was at Shitty Hair haphazardly telling everyone what his "problem" was, especially in front of the space elves-!! 

Though his shock quickly delved into pure agitation when Deku teasingly reached out to  _ hug _ him, "Awww, Kacchan! Don't feel jeal- ACK!!"

Katsuki violently shoved the idiot's face away, "DEKU, YOU STUPID NERD!! GET THE HELL AWAY FROM ME!! YOU FUCKING WEIRDO!!" He promptly snarled bitter words at Ochaco and Mina when they both started laughing, though he glanced over the fact that Eri was giggling too.

“Ow-!! Wait, Kacchan!! Stop for a sec-”

“YOU STARTED IT!!”

“N-no!! I mean I’m losing my footing-!!”

Shoto sighed as the two idiots fell over, spooking Eijiro in the process, “There they go… they’ll never grow up.”

Momo did her best to ignore the antics from the two as she spoke over the now squabbling brothers, "Actually, speaking of the Red Lion, I believe I may have picked up on a distress signal-"

Alarms blared throughout the bridge, red light flooding off of the holoscreens that automatically popped up around the central control pillars. Even though they couldn't read it, the human teens knew they were clearly signs of warnings. Little Eri ran over to Izuku, clambering up onto his back from the scare, both Katsuki and Izuku quitting in their partial wrestling as if it had never happened in the first place. 

"Princess, what's going on?" 

She turned to the Black Paladin, "I'm not sure yet, Midoriya! Mina, Tenya!"

"We're on it, Momo!" Mina moved to the control panels, Tenya already set to work. 

He spoke as his fingers flew over the holographic keys, "There seems to be some sort of honing signal locked on the Castle! I will try to block the signal-"

The main screen came online without prompt, a message for the Alteans coming through clearly. 

Not only did Izuku notice Eri beginning to tremble against his back as she brushed up against his lower curls, but Shoto seemed to be affected by the Galra from the screen as well. His whole body tensed, Izuku just barely being able to hear Shoto's robotic hand clench tighter from where he stood. The fear they had… it stoked a fire in Izuku’s belly as he reached behind and prompted Eri to hide in his hold.

A figure with purple fur and sharply defined black and crimson armor stood tall from the other end of the hologram. His glowing, sulfur eyes lacked ferocity, but the cold, dead look of intense, mirthless fascination more than made up for it as his impression on everyone in the bridge gave them chills. He demanded control in an unsettlingly subtle way through his relaxed tone as he spoke from under a metallic half mask, something that almost looked like a muzzle, obscuring his mouth and nose, "Princess Yaoyorozu Momo of Altea… what a pleasant surprise." 

Despite being instantly repulsed by the sugared tone he used to speak her full title, Momo's regal poise remained unperturbed. It was something royalty always dealt with, so it was rather easy to deflect his venom with a little bit of sardonic tones herself. "I'd prefer you omit the false pleasantries. It sounds like it's giving you a rather bitter aftertaste; though might I ask who addresses me?" 

His chuckle was quiet over the speaker, something he hadn't intended them to hear judging by how quickly he cleared his throat. "Commander Chisaki Kai. I have direct orders from All For One, the Lord of the Known Universe, to apprehend you.”

Iida gritted his teeth, interjecting, “Under what charges!?”

Even without being visible, the smile that twisted his face gave Chisaki even a more wicked air. “Why… you are all now considered armed and dangerous war criminals. Alteans are disgusting  _ outlaws _ . Any and all Alteans must be purged upon discovery… and it goes without saying, having even  _ one _ Lion of Voltron in your possession is a declaration of war,” a maliciously gleeful glint shone in his eyes, “and you have two.”

The team went rigid. He was off on his count, meaning the enemy didn’t know that they were only one lion shy of the full set! Izuku was envious of the fact that Katsuki had an incredible Poker face that almost perfectly hid away his inner gloating, but was relieved that even at a glance, Shoto was visibly less tense. They had the upper hand over this evil commander in the intel game.

And he was already hatching a plan as Momo stood her ground. “The Lions of Voltron were made by my father. I am merely claiming my birthright.” She took a confident step forwards, standing tall with a lioness’s confidence, “As for your information, it was the  _ Galra _ who were the ones responsible for starting the war that aeon ago. Do not confuse history with your prejudices against my people.” She allowed herself the pleasure of adding a bit of snark with her quip, “For unlike  _ you _ , I was there when it happened. And according to the rules of galactic combat, your emperor has not won this war. Voltron lives on, a beacon of hope. So know your place,  _ Commander _ .”

Tenya rolled his eyes when Mina made no effort in hiding her snickering, cheering on their ruler’s deviance. “Compose yourself, Ashido. We are  _ supposed _ to maintain appearances.”

Chisaki muffled it, but the group heard the choked sound of his reaction to being talked down on, let alone his ruler being insulted. There was a furious heat in his eyes, promising murder with that glare, “I will be there to personally make you regret ever speaking to me in that manner,  _ Princess _ . I will make you and those other quiznaking tramps  _ pay _ .” And with that, the feed was cut and the holoscreen vanished as quickly as it had initially appeared.

Katsuki snorted into his fist, his shoulders shaking at he managed out, “Oh my God… he was such a baby!!” 

Eijiro cringed, “Yeah… not manly at all.”

“Such a poser.” Mina slumped into her seat, “I know a few Galra commanders of old who would wipe the floor with that creepy son of a-”

“Enough!” Yaomomo stepped down from the control pillars, the machines whirring as they disappeared seamlessly into the floor. “Now is not the time for idle banter! Chisaki Kai  _ may _ be a pathetic excuse for a leading officer if he can’t take even just a mild insult, but that doesn’t mean he’s any less powerful!” She fiddled with her hands, realizing how much more worse she had made things. “I shouldn’t have pushed it. What have I done? We are out armed in a temporarily defenseless castle and we don’t have all five lions-”

“Actually, if I may, Princess.” Izuku set Eri down, the little girl running back over to Ochaco. He stepped forwards with eagerness splashed onto his face, “We’ve got all five.”

There was a silent moment. 

“U-um, Deku?” Ochaco broke the stillness, “We only have four…”

“Stupid Nerd just lost his  _ nerd _ privileges. Now he’s just  _ stupid _ .” Katsuki smacked his forehead, “Hey, dumbass!! What about  _ my _ lion!? You know, the red one!?  _ Kinda still missing it _ -”

Izuku didn’t even skip a beat, “But not for long!” He turned to Yaomomo, “Princess, if you please?” He made a broad gesture to around the room, “The map?”

Momo was bemused at first, “O-oh! Yes, yes of course.” She backtracked and stood under the massive crystals again to wake up Computer. The AI reactivated the grandiose map of the Universe-! She knew where Izuku’s train of thought was headed the moment she saw the coordinates of the Red Lion on the move.  _ ‘Clever Paladin.’ _

“Now… Iida!”

The mechanic yelped from alarm. “Y-yes!! Black Paladin, how may I assist you-”

Izuku chuckled, jogging over to Tenya’s side, “Relax; and just Midoriya’s fine.” He pointed to where the holoscreen had appeared, “Can you track where that transmission came from?” Satisfaction filled Izuku’s expression when he saw the realization painted on Tenya’s face. “Because I’m pretty sure Chisaki has the Red Lion.”

There was collective outcry from most of his friends.

“WHA-!?”

“Woah, dude!! How did you-”

“Deku, that’s… how…?”

“Actually, that makes sense.” Everyone turned to Shoto, who merely shrugged as he watched the coordinates travel closer and closer to their planet, “If you think about it, it’s not that crazy of an idea. Red must’ve been trying to ping us with an SOS signal and the Galra corrupted it and used it as a honing beacon. Princess Yaomomo did say that the coordinates were just found right before we were set on high alert. Really, it’s just a blatant observation.”

Izuku let out an indignified squeak at that. Puffing his cheeks, he curtly turned away as he muttered, “Way to steal my thunder, Shoto…” He gave a quiet thank you to Tenya when the mechanic patted his shoulder in an act of consolement, before clearing his throat, “But the Lions belong to the Princess. I think we should allow her to make the final say.”

“Well…” Momo didn’t know what to think of it, it seemed almost absurd! Or… it did, but… she wanted so  _ desperately _ to believe it could actually work! “To risk everything… you five are not exactly the same level of skill as even normal soldiers. I  _ want _ to believe in you! Honestly, I do! I’ve never met a braver group; none of you are hesitating and it’s  _ awe inspiring _ , really! But only Midoriya is remotely close to the bond the Paladins of Old held with the Lions-!”

“Princess…” Izuku felt the fire burning inside of him again, egged on even further by the rumbling beast that he knew all too well now. It hurt seeing her shackle herself with something he knew nothing about yet… probably dealing the weight of royalty. “I know. I’m pretty sure we all get it; it’s a gamble. But… if not us, trust in the Lions your father made.”

“King Riku.” Mina was next to Ochaco, gently brushing Little Eri’s head, “Midoriya has a point. The Lions can help.”

Yaomomo considered her faithful companion’s words. “I… I’m still not sure.” She turned around to face the grand view of the beautiful world that the Castle had landed on that aeon ago, a bitter reminder that her home was gone. “A long time ago, I had the same view. My father… he sent the Lions to the farthest reaches of the Universe to keep them out of the clutches of All For One. After all this time, most of the Lions remained hidden.  _ Would _ he want us to risk everything?”

“I…” Izuku ignored the bitterness that tried to claim his attention, “I wouldn’t know, Princess. But,” in the most gentle way he could muster, he stated with a determined glow in his eyes, “you are not your father.”

She glanced at him and even as brash as the statement was, she knew he spoke only of the truth. But even so, there were much larger things at stake if they failed.

Tenya cleared his throat, “Princess Yaomomo?” When he gained her full attention, he continued without hesitation, knowing well that time wasn’t to be wasted, “Perhaps your father will be able to help you make your mind up.”

Everyone took a double take, which was more than a just reaction!

“Uh, hey, Four Eyes? Yeah, I don’t think that’s fuckin’  _ possible _ .”

Ochaco glared at him, “Katsuki,  _ please _ stop cussing with Eri around-”

“N-no…” Momo didn’t know if she was even breathing correctly, if at all. The premature tears forming in her eyes spurred her to act, “Tenya! Did he…?”

He nodded, “Please, follow me.”

Mina rose a hand to stop the Paladins from following when Momo immediately obeyed and was led to the elevator. “No, you guys… she needs this.”

“What’s going on?” Eijiro asked as the group all watched the elevator door close shut.

“She’s going to see her father.” Mina sighed, tapping her cheek as she tried to come up with an easily understood explanation for people who had practically zero knowledge on even some of the most basic forms of Quintessence harnessing technologies…  _ ‘And I’m just a butler.’ _ She hummed to herself, “Let’s see… so we have a special kind of tech that can hook up with your brain- actually, we have a  _ lot _ that can do that- um, well, it basically downloads all of your memories, thoughts, passions and desires into a special containment unit… does that make sense?”

“So the king… is now a machine?” Izuku gawked as he tried to process the implications… in less than a second, he was off rambling quietly to himself about  _ all  _ the possibilities that held, bringing people back to life, retaining history, what it would feel like being inside of a computer,  _ if  _ you could feel anything at all…

“Aaaand, he’s off.” Ochaco announced in a monotone that made Eri bust out with bell like giggles.

Shoto murmured to himself, “I really need to learn about Altean technologies…”

Momo kept pace with Tenya all the way down to a corridor she was less familiar with, which was saying something. She grew up in this castle; she knew a lot about it. So it struck her funny that she had very little memory regarding this place. “Tenya… is this where my father stored his memories?”

“Yes. King Riku kept this place rather hush hush, because… well…” He glanced over his shoulder as they came to the door, “He overstepped normal boundaries. Almost every last drop of his Quintessence was out into the machine. It… it pained me to see him put on a brave face ‘til the very end.”

“Hmm.” She let out a solemn coo, “That sounds more like him…”

Tenya nodded, before he bowed with a leading gesture, “Princess, if you may.”

She knew what was implied. She alone could activate the door for the first time… this was a gift special to her, and her alone. She rested her hand on Tenya’s shoulder, “Thank you. Could you wait for me here?”

“Of course, my Princess. Take your time-” he then rapidly cleared his throat with a little cough, “b-but, do try to keep it as brief as possible. You will have time afterward.” He curtly turned to the side, “I will admit; I am ashamed that I am hoping that you will go with Midoriya’s plan… it  _ is  _ something a lot like you would do.”

She let out a small chuckle, “Don’t be… I know,” before stepping forward.

The automated door opened up with a hydraulic hiss, dust falling off of the side she stood. But, to her utter amazement, the inside room was immaculate. “Even after all these deca-phoebes…” She took note of the lethargic, pulsating lights along the walls that matched the tall, glowing cylinder in the central console on the floor. Beautiful teals, pinks and greens, all of it mesmerizing, but not  _ nearly _ enough to distract her for more than a mere tick. She rushed to the glass, gently resting her hand upon it-

In an explosion of light and colors, orbs of pictures and and scenes flooded the room. Each of them held images of herself, all at different ages, hearing her own laughter in different pitches. In a sweeping motion, the floor became a meadow, petals from the rapidly formed flowers that were all too familiar to her floating in the phantom mountain breeze that she could have  _ sworn _ she felt. In the distance, the walls no longer existent in this make believe world of her very own, she could see rising peaks of a now long gone mountain range she knew too well. It was the juniberry meadow that she and her father loved to visit.

“Momo…”

It was truly like the home she knew and longed for the moment she heard his voice. Even in a holographic form, confined to the prison he willingly stayed in to wait for her after all this time… “Father!” She knelt down, resting her hand to the side of the console. “It’s you… it’s really you.”

“Oh, my beloved daughter… how I missed your face. Your mother’s smile and that troublesome glint in your eye, no matter how much you tried to hide it.” 

“Oh, stop it… I get it from you.”

“Yes… I’m afraid so.” The smile underneath the greyed, well kept beard on his face was still so obvious to her… she knew it was foolish to think it, but he hadn’t changed at all. This tomb preserved his image down to the most minute detail, even his rumbling chuckles. 

It used to always make her giggle, but the weight of everything… she allowed herself to show her true worries to her father, her confidant. “Father… I am so frightened. The enemy knows where we are and I’m not sure if we should fight and risk losing everything, or hide and keep the rest of the Lions safe from All For One…”

“I would do anything to take this burden from you, Momo.”

She nodded her head, tears rolling down her cheeks. “The Paladins of Old are gone, and we do not have the means to form Voltron. I know what you would do.” She tilted her head up, almost feeling a ghost’s touch on her chin, though her father’s hologram remained standing tall even when looking down to see her.

He closed his eyes for a moment, before he continued with a soft voice, “I sent the Lions away, hiding them from the Universe in a desperate attempt to preserve what we had. You told me to take the risk and not lose hope, but I believed I was doing what was best for the safety of everyone.”

Momo’s eyes widened, her heart feeling like it was sinking. “I see-”

“No, Momo.” He garnered her full attention, “I was wrong. I allowed fear to cloud my judgement. My decision cost the lives and grief of countless souls during that aeon. Voltron is a pillar of hope. I lost sight of that… but you never did. Momo, you must follow your heart. You  _ can _ believe in it. There will always be a way… I am just so sorry I did not learn it until after my folly cost the Universe so much pain.”

The tears ended with a last, single drop. She stood to her feet, feeling power swell in her chest. “Thank you, father. I will make sure to right everything so that your soul may rest well.”

He nodded once, a tear rolling down his cheek before it faded into little flecks of Quintessence, “Thank you, my daughter.”

Momo strode into the bridge with Tenya in tow with the fierce determination that used to get her into trouble. She didn’t care about appearances. She wasn’t just a princess, she was the Guardian of her father’s creation, the Symbol of Peace and Hope. She let her pride shine through, pulling her hair up and away, donning a suit of her own personal armor, and holding herself like the warrior she  _ was _ , not just someone she needed to be. 

She knew that she already had their attention, but she let her voice echo over the humans she now called allies. “Listen up. You five are now the beacons of hope. The Lions chose you to fight along side them in this war. I can see it in each of you; you have the heart of a hero, all of you. It is our destiny that we share together! We will fight today and reclaim the Red Lion, and with her, we will show the Galra that we are not afraid. There is no time to waste, so stand with me!”

While Katsuki merely huffed in agreement, the other Paladins, Mina, Tenya, even Little Eri, all collectively cheered, “Yes, Princess!” The mice excitedly danced on the computer council to the side, an added bit of joy for everyone.

Izuku felt eyes turn to him when Momo nodded his way, but without hesitation, he shouted, “All right! Let’s get started!”

“So, here’s the plan.”

Mina led the team to the armory, having made the finishing touches once she had gotten back with Shoto, Green and Cho the…  _ butterfly _ . “I made sure to calibrate the fabricator to the scans Computer provided. She may still be in need of recalibration, but the sizes shouldn’t be that far off!” With a theatrical stretch of her hand and deep bow, she presented the newly made suits hovering in their respective pods.

Izuku and Momo were both standing the closest to a hologram detailing the outer thermosphere and exosphere of Planet Arus. Bits of asteroids were shown floating in orbit like mini moons… the perfect tools for their plan.

Izuku pointed towards a particular cluster, “We will use these asteroids as cover for the attack. We already know how large those warships are compared to a single Lion. And judging by the fact that they hadn’t already pinged our location before, they aren’t tracking Black or Yellow, and especially not Green or Blue.”

“Suggesting that Chisaki wasn’t lying, of course,” Momo added. “We need to hope for the best, but be prepared for anything!” __

He nodded, before continuing, “Even so, there’s a good chance that we’ll be safe as long as we stay out of line of sight, therefore making a perfect ambush opportunity.”

The humans all gawked at the sleek sets of subtly colored armor with the same sharp pattern and stylized V like insignias over the chest plate, each matching the color of their respective lion, except for one set. 

Mina elbowed Ochaco as the girl took notice to how her armor sported  _ both _ pink and blue, the shoulders, knees and helmet the same shade as her lion, but the V and a single stripe near the bottom of the helmet a lovely shade of pastel pink. “I did that special for my pink-loving buddy; and! It’s  _ extra _ special, because it’s the color we use to honor the dead leaders of our past!”

“Oh… I’m… I’m  _ honored _ !” Ochaco beamed with excitement, before hugging her pink-bestie, “Thank you! I’ll wear it with pride, Mina!”

“Looks like we’ve got two goths on the team now…  _ aye, Deku _ ?” Katsuki slapped Izuku’s shoulder, nearly knocking the shorter teen over.

“Agh! Knock it off, Kacchan!” Izuku punched his shoulder in retaliation, before taking a heavy breath to calm down. “Alright, guys! Suit up!”

Izuku plucked the miniature Green Lion that Computer generated, moving her over to the model cruiser. “The Green Lion is the smallest and most nimble of the Lions we have right now. Shoto, Kacchan and I will sneak aboard while Ochaco and Kirishima create a diversion. You two have the most fortified Lions and have plenty of cover. I believe in you guys. You all did amazing work at the academy. Use every single form of evasive maneuver you know; but watch each other’s sixes and trust in your lions. Listen to them as much as possible. They’re experienced and will know what to do.”

Momo took over in seamless transition with Midoriya, “Mina will be helping keep a lookout on our radar. She’ll tell you if there’s large groups moving in.”

Mina smugly looked at her nails, “Just judging by their attack patterns, the enemy haven’t changed much even after all the deca-phoebes, so it’ll be easier to call out warnings.”

Momo rolled her eyes at Mina’s remark, but continued, “Once Tenya and I fix the Castle’s defensive systems, we will be able to give cover fire assistance-”

“And I am currently working on that!” Tenya piped up from the awkward position he was in, halfway submerged in one of the stationary control panels with wires piled on top of him.

Ochaco came back with Mina from the spare room after getting fully dressed in privacy. A low whistle played from her lips as she sized up the other members of her team, “Lookin’ good, fellas!”

Izuku had just clicked his extra utility belt with his father’s knife in place when he startled, whirling around to face her and her unexpected compliment. “O-OchAco!!”

Katsuki roared over Deku’s stammering ass, “Hell  _ yeah _ we do!!”

Eijiro finished tying his retro headband on, before pumping his fists and bumping Ochaco’s forearm as she mimicked her Leg Bro. “‘bout ready to kick some ass!!” 

Shoto nodded quietly in response, but a warm smile did show itself on his lips.

Mina grinned as she bounced in place, “Okay!! Now, on to the weaponry!!”

Momo nodded her head, “You will be provided with your own Bayards, the signature weapon of the Paladin. They take the form that best suits their user.”

“So, let’s see these magic weapons, already!” Katsuki clapped his hands together, his hungry grin causing Mina to falter for a second.

“Kacchan! Be patient!”

“PUT A SOCK IN IT, SHITTY NERD-”

Izuku smiled calmly towards Mina, “Sorry for Kacchan’s inability to be polite-”

“ _ BASTARD- _ ”

“- so please,” he waved towards the counter island she was leading them to in the center of the weaponry, “continue.”

Mina looked between the two brothers. She glanced over to the other three Paladins. They each had the same exasperated expression, illustrating perfectly that this would be something that would remain throughout their coming adventures. “… for all in the stars in the sky…  _ Yalexian Pearls _ , would you two settle down!” There was still a chuckle in her tone, however. She couldn’t deny it… she loved all that rambunctious energy. “ _ Anyway _ , your Bayards!”

She tapped the holoscreen right next to the counter, and to the Paladins’ amazement, the odd, curved pieces of equipment floated upwards. Slowly, they hovered over to their respective Paladin, the accents matching the colors of their suits. “They are made of the same material as your Lions! They are virtually indestructive… I think. Honestly, after witnessing examples firsthand and just knowing what they’ve gone through, including what the Lions have had to put up with, I definitely would say so!”

Katsuki scrutinized the red themed Bayard that inched closer to him in the air. “… it’s just a glorified handle-!?”

A spark of purple light and a squeak from Izuku snatched everyone’s attention. In his hand, instead of the  _ default _ shape of the Bayard, he held a black  _ blade _ , little motes of purple energy still flittering about from the instantaneous change. “I-I… I’m…  _ it’s a  _ **_sword_ ** !?” Izuku grappled it with both hands, his eyes wide as saucers as he gawked at the strikingly  _ beautiful _ weapon, testing it in both hands as he got a feel for the masterpiece.

“Oh! A… a shortsword!” Mina hesitated for a moment, chuckling lightly, “Not what I expected… but! You seem to like it!”

A flash of green first caught her attention even before Shoto deadpanned, “He has a thing for sharp objects.” In his right hand, he held a Bayard that didn’t look all that different in overall shape, though the outer edge was replaced with a glowing green blade. He looked to his left hand and it whirred as it came to life, a fuchsia glow that was a stark contrast to Voltron’s shade of green. It bothered him, so he mused out loud, “I’m going to look into making alterations…”

Another flash and this time, a hearty  _ growl _ was followed by the telltale sound of a slide release, “Oh…  _ yeah _ …” In Katsuki’s hands rested a large, red themed gun, a futuristic, large and sleek plasma shotgun that Doom Guy would’ve  _ dreamt _ of having. He had a dark smile that stretched ear to ear, savoring the weight of the gun and  _ dying _ to feel how much power his new baby boasted-? “Huh? Where did these come from?” 

Mina was about to look over, when Kirishima grabbed his Bayard and nearly toppled over from the unexpected weight of a large, yellow  _ minigun _ with a loud yelp. The thing was a  _ monster _ , the barrels about the length of his arm, maybe a bit longer. “H-holy shit!!”

“Kirishima! Are you alright?” 

He looked up to the entirely pink girl, “Yeah… it just shocked me, that’s all.”

Izuku was practically buzzing with excitement, fingers twitching as he felt the urge to take notes for future plans. “ _ The fact that you’re even  _ **_holding_ ** _ it is amazing… _ ”

When he confirmed he was okay, Mina finally looked over to Bakugo, “Oh! Your Bayard splitted up!” She came closer to try and-!! “HOLY QUIZNAK, THOSE ARE EXPLOSIVES!!”

“…” He looked down slowly at the simply designed red charges, with only a couple buttons to interact with. “Best. Fucking. Day.  **Ever** .” He quickly added without tearing his attention away from the beautiful little bombs, “Deku, I don’t hate you or your cat anymore for bringing me along to space.”

Izuku was already broken out of his muttering spree by Mina’s outcry (and a sharp poke from Ochaco,  _ again _ ), when he sighed with a shake to his head, “Kacchan… no.”

“Kacchan, yes.” He squinted closer to it, “I wonder how potent the explosions are…  _ bet they’d be really cool blowing up on an enemy spacecraft- _ ”

“Kacchan, if I had an hour to spare, it wouldn’t be enough to explain why that is a  _ horrible _ id-”

The sound of Izuku getting hit in the back with a hightech bo-staff with jewel like ends (thankfully, not in the head) and tumbling to the floor was followed by Ochaco bashfully murmuring, “Oopsie…” She immediately went over to his side to help their leader up, her intricately designed weapon disappearing in a flash of light much like Izuku’s now missing shortsword. “I’m so sorry, Deku! I didn’t know how  _ big _ it was gonna be!”

“You’re telling  _ me _ .” Eijiro muttered, “This thing is freakin’  _ huge _ !! I’m gonna have to rely on cover fire if we’re ever running!!” He swung his Bayard in front of himself as he cried out, “I mean,  _ damn _ , but isn’t this overkill!?”

A small snort escaped Shoto. He fought the smile trying to show itself, he really tried. He looked down at the floor to try and stop himself-

“Shoto, what’s-” Izuku, after reassuring Ochaco that he was okay, glanced up at his old friend, before it dawned on him. “ _ Oh- _ Todoroki, grow up, man…” However, his own cheeks got a bit rosy from secondhand embarrassment, though he wouldn’t say it.

That was it. A series of snorts and chortles left Shoto, straining to mutter, “I was in prison… let me have this.”

“So the basic rundown… Blue and Yellow go out first. Kirishima and Ochaco will be the distraction, while Todoroki and I will cover Kacchan while we find Red. If you two can, find a way to destroy that large cannon thingy-”

Tenya spoke up from his newest awkward spot, sitting upside down in the seat ahead to get a better angle for underneath another panel, “It’s an upgraded ion cannon, judging by the looks of it. The Castle, even with full defenses, can maybe take two or three hits from that… maybe five, if you’re feeling recklessly lucky.” He gave a warning glare, however, “Don’t push it… my family built this castle… I intend to keep it running ‘til the day I die. So,  _ yes _ , please destroy the ion cannon.”

“I-” Izuku gulped, but he was able to quickly recover, “Okay, the  _ ion _ cannon… if you can damage it, that’s good news all together.”

The team looked between one another. Yes, there was a new nervousness rising, even if Katsuki would adamantly deny it if asked, but they all knew they weren’t alone in feeling it eat away at them.

Momo cleared her throat, smiling with the grace gained from being raised to be a queen, “I know this is not something you ever imagined becoming a part of. It’s new, it’s scary… but it’s exciting, important. For everyone. I know I already said it, but I want to reiterate: today, you have the opportunity to take a stand against an evil that was left alone to rot for too long. I thank you for your bravery.”

Ochaco bobbed her head, lifting her fists up in front of herself, “We’re with you, Princess!”

“LET’S  _ GOOOO _ !!” Eijiro shouted eagerly from the side, Shoto sighing at the loudness.

Katsuki clicked his tongue, curtly looking away, “Eh, I get to be a hero with cool weapons. Better off than being stuck in that stuffy Hellhole with… ugh, never mind. Let’s just save the fuckin’ Universe already.”

Izuku nodded his head once when he made eye contact with Momo, before Black roared inside of him. He and his lion shouted together, “Alright, guys!! Team Voltron, let’s roar…?” 

“ _ PFFFFFFFFFT _ -” Katsuki slammed a hand over his mouth, “Oh my  **God** !! That is so fucking  _ corny _ !!”

Black made a loud sound of disbelief, Izuku crying out, “Kacchan, shut up!! It’s  _ not- _ ”

Ochaco poked her fingers together, mumbling, “I dunno… I like it; I think it’s kinda cute…” Eijiro nodded in agreement.

“I… i-it’s not supposed to…” Izuku’s cheeks turned rosy enough to hide his freckles. He let out an undignified huff, “ _ Let’s just… go get ready. The enemy will be here soon _ …”

Katsuki wheezed out while holding his stomach, “Yes, sir, Captain Cutesie!” He only laughed harder when Izuku stormed away, even when Ochaco smacked the back of his own head.


End file.
